Egyptian Military Officers Defecting to Protesters

Ten months after Mubarak’s fall, Egyptians are risking imprisonment and death in Tahrir Square once again to demand an end to military rule and the election of a civilian government. Some members of the military, disgusted by the murder of their fellow citizens, are standing with them.

“I want the people to know there are army officers who are with them,” Maj. Tamer Samir Badr told The Guardian while seated near an open window overlooking the square. “My feelings came to a head last week. I saw people dying and the army gave the orders for us to just stand and watch. ... I’m supposed to die for these people, not them die for me. Now I’m ready to die in the square, and I’m not afraid of anything.”

Scores of protesters have been killed since tens of thousands of Egyptians returned to the streets in recent days. The military’s generals remain unwilling to cede power and instead named 78-year-old Mubarak-era Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri to step in and form a new cabinet. The protesters, however, reject Ganzouri’s appointment.—ARK

The Guardian: