Nottingham Egyptians' delight as Mubarak resigns

EGYPTIANS living in Nottingham have spoken of their pride after weeks of public protests finally ended with political change in their homeland.

Vice President Omar Suleiman announced yesterday that President Hosni Mubarak was to step down with immediate effect, ending his 30-year rule.

There had been widespread protests against President Mubarak in the country since January 25 and his announcement that he would step down after elections in September failed to pacify opponents.

Egyptian Elsayed Ibrahim, 30, of Dunkirk, spoke of his delight at news of Mr Mubarak's resignation.

He said: "We did not trust him or the regime. We thought that if we waited until September, he would find another man with the same attitude towards Egypt. We now want a new regime that will listen to the people of Egypt."

Mr Ibrahim had feared for the safety of wife Fatma and son Yousef, who were in Egypt. After the unrest began, both came to stay in Nottingham for the time being.

A Nottingham woman living in Cairo has described the atmosphere in the Egyptian capital after news of Mr Mubarak's decision. Natalie Banton, 28, originally from Radford, said: "I never thought I'd see anything like this.

"It was a matter of time, though, as when the elections were announced, the people were so angry."

Miss Banton, who moved to Egypt 18 months ago to work at an international school, added: "The Egyptian people were very happy to keep protesting until they got the result that they wanted. I had been asking friends not to go down to the protests but they said, 'it's my people and I have to do this for our country'. They were adamant that they had to keep fighting."

Members of the Egyptian Society at the University of Nottingham are offering to send money to their homeland.

Chairman Nader Ahmed, 36, of Dunkirk, said: "We are worried about those people who are in financial hardship because they are not getting paid due to the protests. We are collecting money from Egyptians living in the UK because we can afford to support these people."

Announcing Mr Mubarak's resignation, Mr Suleiman said on national TV: "In these difficult circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave the position of the presidency. He has commissioned the Armed Forces Council to direct the issues of the state."

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