Monday marks the fifth anniversary of Egyptians launching protests against long-time leader Hosni Mubarak in a revolt that helped spark a wave of uprisings across the Middle East.
The run-up to the Monday anniversary has seen stepped-up security measures in place in the capital, Cairo, as well as a new wave of arrests and security checks in the city’s downtown, an area popular with young, pro-democracy activists.
A look back at the events of 5 years ago when Mubarak was toppled in protests that became known as the Arab Spring.
The Revolution
On 25 January 2011, massive anti-Mubarak protests erupted after a revolt toppled Tunisia’s ruler in what becomes known as the Arab Spring.
On 1 February, more than a million demonstrators took to the streets, with a great flood of people congregating in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
On 11 February, Mubarak resigned and handed power to the army, which suspended the Constitution and dissolved the parliament.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, in office since 2014, has since the 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi overseen a harsh crackdown that has jailed thousands of Islamists and scores of secular activists.
In speeches over the past two days, el-Sissi has vowed a firm response to any unrest. On Sunday, he paid tribute to the 2011 uprising, saying Egyptians were building a “civilian, modern and developed state that upholds the values of democracy and freedom.”
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