Mubarak deploys army as Cairo chaos grows

EGYPT’S military deployed on the streets of Cairo to enforce a night-time curfew as the sun set yesterday on a day of rioting and chaos that amounted to the biggest challenge ever to authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year regime.

Flames rose up across a number of cities from burning tires and police cars. Even the ruling party headquarters in Cairo was ablaze in the outpouring of rage, bitterness and utter frustration with a regime seen as corrupt, heavy-handed and neglectful of grinding poverty that afflicts nearly half of the 80 million Egyptians.

“I can’t believe our own police, our own government would keep beating up on us like this,” said Cairo protester Ahmad Salah, 26. “I’ve been here for hours... they keep gassing us, and I will keep going forward. This is a cowardly government and it has to fall. We’re going to make sure of it.”