Egypt marks 5th anniversary of uprising

Associated Press

CAIRO

Amid heavy security Monday, Egypt marked the fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, with activists taking to social media – but not the streets – to express frustration that their demands for freedom and democracy had not been realized.

Many activists instead posted photos from 2011 of Cairo’s Tahrir Square – the epicenter of the demonstrations – showing it filled with tens of thousands of protesters during the 18-day uprising. Next to them, they posted photos of the square on Monday, showing it empty except for several dozen supporters of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Since 2011, when Mubarak fell after nearly three decades in power, Egypt has seen much upheaval: the rise of President Mohammed Morsi and his once-banned Muslim Brotherhood; the ouster of Morsi by el-Sissi, a former general; and el-Sissi’s launch of one of the harshest crackdowns in years, with the jailing of thousands of Islamists and scores of liberal, pro-democracy activists.

Despite the heavy police presence Monday, supporters of the Brotherhood had at least two small demonstrations, with participants numbering in the low hundreds – both in Cairo’s twin city of Giza.

Brotherhood demonstrations of this size have taken place since 2013, but are restricted to back streets of poor or middle class neighborhoods, away from the eyes of the police in landmark squares and major thoroughfares.

In the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, police dismantled two bombs and arrested 15 people when they dispersed small protests by Brotherhood loyalists, according to the official MENA news agency.

In the October 6 suburb of Cairo, police killed two suspected militants in a raid. Explosives and firearms were found in the raided apartment, MENA reported. Later, in Bani Suef province south of Cairo, police shot and killed a suspected militant when he tried to storm a checkpoint.

The crackdown under el-Sissi has forced many who took part in the 2011 uprising, along with hundreds of Morsi supporters, to flee Egypt or abandon political activism altogether.