Mubarak hangs on after mass protests in Egypt

On Friday, people in cities across Egypt -- from Suez, Ismailia and Port Said, east of Cairo, to Mansoura, Damanhour and Qalyoubiaas in the Nile Delta in the north, to Aswan in the south -- demonstrated in what was billed a "Day of Departure."

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians marched peacefully in Cairo on Friday to demand an immediate end to Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, but there was no sign of the army or the president's U.S. allies forcing him out just yet.

With the unrest entering its 12th day, protesters camped out in Tahrir Square, the hub of demonstrations in the heart of Cairo, prepared on Saturday to wait him out.

"Mubarak must go, Mubarak must go," someone shouted over a loud speaker, after a brief burst of heavy gunfire shortly before 2 a.m. local time.

Protesters say they want a real transfer of power, rather than to see Mubarak to be replaced by another ruler backed by the military. Obama has also called for "meaningful" change.

Seeking to deflect criticism of interference in Egypt's affairs, Obama said on Friday: "The future of Egypt will be determined by its people."

Despite mass street protests and concessions by government, Mubarak's fate now lies as much in deals struck among generals keen to retain influence and Western officials anxious not to see Egypt slide into chaos or be taken over by Islamists.

ORIGINAL SOURCE