Volatile

Mubarak Huddles With Army Chiefs

As Egypt protests continue into sixth day.

As mass demonstrations against his 30-year rule continued for a sixth day, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak huddled with military chiefs Sunday—key allies in his country’s volatile climate. Mubarak controls nearly half a million soldiers—twice that many if those in reserve are included—and their allegiance is necessary for him to remain in power. Meanwhile, thousands gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to proclaim opposition leader and former U.N. weapons inspector Mohamed ElBaradei as the leader of their transition to democracy. There was markedly less violence in the protests than in days past. “The people want the regime to fall!” shouted ElBaradei at the rally, calling on President Obama to “cut off life support to the dictator.”