Above: Egyptian anti-government protesters gather at Cairo's Tahrir Square on February 4, 2011 during demonstrations to force President Hosni Mubarak to step down. (Getty Images) / Below, top: Protester defaces Egyptian President Mubarak (Reuters) / Below, bottom: Egyptian anti-government demonstrators wave Egyptian flags at Cairo's Tahrir Square this morning, January 10. (Getty Images)
For almost three weeks, protests against Egypt's government have caused national turmoil, leading to mass conflict in cities across the country. Today, Egyptians celebrate a major concession by their nation's leaders--the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak--but insist the real work has just begun. Here's a rundown of what's now being referred to as the "Jan 25 Revolution":
What caused the demonstrations?
Fueled by protests a week before that led to the fall of Tunisia's ruler, a Facebook page called for Egyptians to rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 25th to denounce the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak. The event gathered over 15,000 protesters to the square that Wednesday - the largest Egyptian demonstration since the 1970s. Security forces attempted to disperse the crowd with tear gas and batons, leading to increased uprising in the area in the coming days. 
Protesters quickly swelled to the hundreds of thousands. In response, the government set a curfew for all citizens and eventually blocked Facebook, Twitter, and other online media outlets. It is now known that the Facebook page that helped spark the protests was created by a 30-year-old Google executive, Wael Ghonim.
What do the protesters want?
According to the original Facebook event, the demands are three-fold: "One, raising the minimum wage ... Two, ending the [Egyptian] State of Emergency ... and releasing detainees with no definite charges ... Three, dissolution of the People's Assembly of Egypt, the Egyptian Parliament, and changing the constitution to limit the presidential terms to two only."
What has been the outcome so far?
Friday's resignation of President Mubarak has been the most significant outcome thus far of the protests. In addition to this news, Mideast Youth reporter, Ahmed Zidan, asserts "Mubarak's regime has offered historic concessions forced by the demonstrators' pressures." These concessions have included promising to revise the constitution; investigating the wealth of Egypt's leaders (President Mubarak is believed to be the richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $70 billion--while a fifth of Egyptians live off of less than $2 per day); and the appointment of former intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, to begin plans to transition Egypt into a democracy by September.
The most significant aspect of the Jan 25 Revolution? It's being powered by young people. Seemingly every major development of this uprising has been spearheaded by young Egyptians. Given Friday's news, it seems young Egyptians are even closer to achieving their goals. Goes to show how powerful the youth voice - both online and offline - can be.
Act's going to take you behind the scenes of this historic world event and profile several of these young leaders in the coming days, so stay tuned. We also want to hear from you on the revolution in Egypt. Leave your comments below, or join the discussion on Facebook or Twitter.
Learn more about Egypt's revolution in Act's Behind #Jan25 coverage and stay tuned for updates throughout the next week.
actTAKE ACTION!
Stay informed
Get real-time updates directly from the young people fueling the #jan25 revolution
