Posts tagged ‘egypt’

Egypt Update

MIDDLEBURY STUDY ABROAD UPDATE: The following is an excerpt from an update sent last night to the Middlebury Community by Jeffrey Cason, Dean of International Programs:

At approximately 11:45pm local time (4:45pm EST), a charter flight with all 22 students participating in the Middlebury program in Alexandria—as well as 2 Middlebury staff members—took off from Borg el Arab airport in Alexandria, with a destination of Prague. We were also able to offer space to a dozen students from another American program seeking to depart.

Students will spend at least one night in Prague, and we will work with our travel agents to get students from Prague to the United States on commercial flights as soon as possible…

Soldiers with a tank in Tahrir Square on Tuesday. (via NYTimes.com)

EGYPT UPDATE: All 22 students from Middlebury’s program have left Egypt, but the Egyptian people have not left the streets. The protest in Cairo, now in its second week,

“…was far bigger and more tumultuous than in the previous week, suggesting that the authorities had been unable to prevent the uprising from reaching what had been seen by all sides as a potential turning point.” (NYTimes.com)

Many have suggested that Mubarak’s fate hinges on the Egyptian Army’s support. If so, his chances looked even slimmer after the Army’s statement on Monday night:

The week-old uprising here entered a new stage about 9 p.m. on Monday when a uniformed military spokesman declared on state television that “the armed forces will not resort to use of force against our great people.” Addressing the throngs who took to the streets, he declared that the military understood “the legitimacy of your demands” and “affirms that freedom of expression through peaceful means is guaranteed to everybody.”

As the crowds in Tahrir swell into the hundreds of thousands- demonstrators hoped to gather 1 million people today- Mubarak still refuses to resign:

“…Mr. Mubarak seemed to be trying to wait out the protesters. He appeared on television soberly shaking the hands of a new roster of cabinet ministers in a public demonstration that even though protesters may control the streets, he remained head of state.” (NYTimes.com)

For more updates, follow the NYTimes’ Lede Blog.

NOTABLE ELSEWHERE: The protests in Tunisia and Egypt sparked similar demonstrations in Jordan. In response, King Abdullah II dismissed his entire cabinet, including his unpopular Prime Minister Samir Rifai. A new cabinet has not yet been appointed.

Egypt Update: Midd Students Safe At Alexandria Airport

Even as Egypt’s work week begins, thousands of demonstrators defied curfews and continued to protest in the streets of Cairo today. The U.S. State Department is “making arrangements to provide transportation to safe-haven locations in Europe” for the approximately 90,000 U.S. citizens currently living in Egypt.

Among these 90,000 are some of the 22 students at Middlebury’s School in the Middle East. Jeff Cason, Middlebury’s Dean of International Programs, sent the following email update to the Middlebury College Community this morning [emphasis added]:

All 22 students studying with Middlebury’s program in Alexandria, Egypt, have made it safely to the Alexandria airport, which is secure and guarded by the army. Two Middlebury staff members are with the students at the airport, and staff in the International Programs office in Middlebury are in regular contact with our staff in Egypt. We expect that the students will be leaving the Alexandria airport tomorrow, and that their first stop outside Egypt will be Athens, from where students will travel back to the United States.

We will provide further updates when they become available.

Protesters held a flag of the Egyptian Army as street protests continued in Cairo on Sunday. (via NYTimes.com)

Egypt Unrest Update: Official Statement

The Middlebury Community received an email from Michael Geisler, the Vice President for Middlebury’s Language Schools, Schools Abroad, and Graduate Program at 11:30 am today. Geisler stressed the safety of all 22 students at the C.V. Starr School in the Middle East, but also acknowledged the volatile nature of the situation. Middlebury intends to evacuate all students from the region as soon as possible. We will continue to provide updates as soon as they are made available.

Below is his message:

Unrest in Egypt

The following is a very brief overview of the current situation in Egypt. For full, up-to-date coverage, visit The New York Times’ Lede Blog.

WHAT – The Egyptian people- an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 of them in Cairo on Wednesday, and thousands of others across the nation- have taken to the streets this week to protest President Hosni Mubarak’s long, corrupt, autocratic rule.

Cairo on Friday, via nytimes

WHO – Mubarak’s only substantial political opposition has come from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, a conservative Islamic movement…until now. This week’s protests were largely organized by Egyptian youth, and were attended not by members of  a particular party, but by Egyptians from all levels of society:

“Friday’s protests were the largest and most diverse yet, including young and old, women with Louis Vuitton bags and men in galabeyas, factory workers and film stars.” (NYTimes.com)

WHY NOW? – The people of Tunisia, long frustrated with corruption, unemployment, and government repression, took to the streets this month and ended the 23-year-long rule of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The success of the “Jasmine Revolution,” which started with a single street vendor’s self-immolation, inspired the Egypt protests.

WHAT’S NEXT? – President Mubarak has refused calls to step down, and his concession to replace his cabinet members has done little to appease the protestors. On Friday, he ordered the Egyptian Army into Cairo and blocked Internet access and cellular service across most of the country to disrupt protest planning on social media sites, but clashes between demonstrators and security forces have raged on.

WHAT ABOUT MIDDLEBURY?

According to the Study Abroad Office, five Middlebury students are currently studying at Middlebury’s C.V. Starr School in the Middle East, located in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was the site of some of the week’s most violent protests on Friday:

“Late Friday, downtown Alexandria was choked with smoke that blotted out the sunset…” (NYTimes.com).

After a 2-hour battle earlier today, it appeared that Alexandrian security forces were overwhelmed by the sheer number of protestors. The Egyptian Army arrived later and imposed a strict military curfew, much to the relief of many Alexandrians who “hoped that semblance of order would be retained after the destruction of a day spent venting pent-up anger”  but the exact situation on the ground is unclear due to interrupted communications networks (NYTimes.com).

A MiddBlog inquiry sent to the five students in Alexandria was not received before the government blocked Internet access, and the Study Abroad office has yet to make a statement. If you have been in contact with anyone on the ground, please let us know. We will post any updates as soon as they come in.