Why cairo unrest

The military backed the popular uprising, and President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of power after 30 years. The protesters were lauded as heroes, and there was a new feeling of hope in the country. Egyptians had seen that peaceful, mass-demonstration could bring about real change. Many believed the square in the heart of the capital was not just a symbol, but a tool; Tahrir Square will be always there, they thought.

We all know the way to Tahrir. If we want change, we fill it again and change will come. When Mubarak stepped down, he handed power over to the military. That wasn't the outcome that many of the protesters envisioned, and thousands remained in the streets, demanding a transition to a new civilian government. Clashes between military forces and the protesters quickly saw the chants in the streets change from, "the army and the people are one hand," to "down with military rule.

A majority of Egyptians grew tired of protests, strikes, unrest, chaos and the dire economic situation — tired of the revolution.

But Islamists, who want religion to serve as a frame of reference for government and society, seized on the unrest and their role in the uprising against Mubarak to make their way into power. Please click confirm to resume now.

Sponsored Offers. Most Popular News. Most Popular Opinion. He accused Sisi and parts of the military of corruption and squandering funds on projects such as new presidential palaces.

Sisi denied the claims. This has not stopped other dissidents uploading videos discussing the security crackdown, corruption and poverty. The fact that protesters managed to gather at all has prompted some to suggest that officials were unsure on how to respond. While the reforms and the devaluation have stabilized the currency, Egypt has not been able to create jobs by boosting non-oil foreign direct investment, which fell in the first three months of to its lowest for at least five years.

This month, Egyptian authorities reportedly seized his assets. Mohamed ElBaradei, now 78, started with the Egyptian diplomatic corps in and spent most of his career overseas. On January 27, , he returned home. ElBaradei went on to play a prominent role in several opposition parties and became Egypt's interim vice president in But he resigned after a month, following the massacre of over Morsi supporters.

Soon after he returned to Vienna. The gap between rich and poor also continues to cause major problems for the country. It is a recurring theme in social networks as well as in sociological and economic studies. A common lament is that the middle class is being undermined by the unequal distribution of wealth, with money and wealth concentrated in the hands of a small elite.

Still, some progress has been made on the social front, Shendi believes: "We now have social security pensions; several new projects are focusing on solidarity and dignity, and some regions are seeing measures to improve infrastructure.

Shendi feels, however, that most Egyptians do not appreciate such developments at their true worth. Using official data, it is hard to judge to what extent social progress has been achieved. Just recently, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly published the first statistics on Egypt's poverty rate in 20 years. In the two previous years, the rate was But these are sham projects that have no impact on the lives of citizens.

Egypt's erstwhile dictator Hosni Mubarak has been released from custody after six years, while many of the young activists who helped overthrow his regime languish in prison. Tom Stevenson reports. Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw.

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