Hundreds of demonstrators remained in central Cairo’s Tahrir square on Sunday, following protests against the army’s chief, despite efforts by the country’s military rulers to appease protesters.
The square was sealed with barbed wire which protesters used to barricade themselves and block entrance to the square.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which had been running the country since former president Hosny Mubarak stepped down in February, said Saturday evening it will replace some provincial governors appointed by the ousted president.
The move is an overture to protesters who are demanding a speedy trial for Mubarak and his aides for allegedly pocketing the equivalent of billions of dollars of state money during decades of power.
Protesters returned to the square, which had been the focal point of an 18-day uprising earlier this year, after clashes with army forces left at least one dead and 71 injured in the early hours of Saturday.
Following the clashes, thousands demonstrated against Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who is the minister of defence and also the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Clashes had erupted early Saturday as the army tried to disperse thousands who remained in the square after the Friday mass rally, demanding a speedy trial for ousted president Mubarak and senior leaders accused of corruption.
The confrontation was the first to lead to deaths since Mubarak resigned. The army was welcomed warmly when it replaced police forces during the 18-day uprising that began on January 25.
Many had praised the military for refusing to fire on protesters, and welcomed the army for stepping in to rule.
But tensions have grown as protesters expressed their anger at the country’s new military rulers for a lack of transparency and slow decision-making.
Mubarak, his wife and two sons are reportedly under house arrest in a sprawling compound in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, following a travel ban and a court order that their assets be frozen.
