Egypt is beginning a new political era after mass protests forced President Hosni Mubrak to stand down following 30 years in power. Follow live updates

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

10.36am: Good morning, this is David Batty with today's live coverage of Egypt - the day after Hosni Mubarak finally stood down as president after 30 years in power.

Here's a roundup of the current situation following the revolution.

• Although thousands are celebrating Mubarak's departure, what happens next remains unclear. The Egyptian army is now in control and has pledged not to get in the way of legitimate government, but world leaders have called for a swift transition to civilian rule.

• Thousands of people remained in Tahrir Square in central Cairo overnight to celebrate Mubarak's departure and more are returning today, waving flags and cheering.

•Following the 18 days of protests that toppled the Egyptian government, world attention is turning towards other Arab states, with planned anti-government protests in Algeria facing a clampdown by thousands of riot police.

10.39am: Protesters camped out in Cairo are divided about whether to stay or go amid the uncertainty over their country's future, AP reports.

Shopkeeper Gomaa Abdel-Maqsoud says he's been in Tahrir Square since the protests began on Jan. 25 and is ready to go. He says "I have never seen such happiness in peoples' faces before; what else do I want?"

Nadal Saqr, a university professor, says protesters should stay until the army issues a promised statement with "clear assurances" that their demands for democracy are met.

10.39am: The repercussions of Mubarak's fall are being felt across the Middle East as other countries in the region assess what regime change could mean.

Syria, which had strained relations with Egypt due to its position as a key US ally in the Arab world and its peace treaty with Israel, has welcomed Mubarak's fall.

His departure will change the "face of Egypt, the region and the entire world", reported the al Ba'ath daily of Syria's ruling Ba'ath Party. The state-run Tishrin newspaper said the protests "brought down the Camp-David regime" - a reference to the 1979 Camp David peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

Meanwhile Yemen, which has seen spreading anti-government protests in recent months, said it would support the Egyptian people in their search for progress and development.

The official news agency Saba said the Yemeni government was confident Egypt's higher military council would be able to manage the country's affairs in the transition period.

The country's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, arranged an unexpected meeting with military and political leaders late yesterday following Mubarak's departure.

Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 32 years and is a key US ally against al Qaida, last week promised to step down at the end of his term in 2013 in a bid to stave off political unrest.

Turkey has urged Egypt's military to press on with elections.

"We hope that Egypt's military high council will act with common sense and hand over its duty to the new governemnt to be formed as a result of a free and fair election process, and eventually Egypt will proceed to a constitutional democracy," said a statement issued by prime pinister Tayyip Erdogan's office today.

Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu added that Mubarak's resignation was an historic development for the Arab world and the region.

"Firstly, continuity of the state and public order should be secured. Secondly, people's demands should be met and a stable and lasting democracy should be built in Egypt through evolution. Thirdly, a transparent road map that the people can follow closely together with the international community should be announced," he said.

11.04am: There are protests today in Yemen and Algeria, inspired by the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions.

Thousands of demonstrators in the Yemeni capital, Sana, have clashed with government supporters. The protesters chanted: "The people want the fall of the government. A Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution."

Human Rights Watch said the authorities detained 10 anti-government protesters amid celebrations over Mubarak's departure last night.

The group said the protest turned violent when hundreds of men armed with knives, sticks, and assault rifles attacked the protesters as security forces stood by.

"The Yemeni security forces have a duty to protect peaceful protesters," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "In this case, security forces seem to have organised armed men to attack the protesters."

Meanhile in Algeria, thousands of riot police have been deployed in the capital, Algiers, to stop an anti-government demonstration from gathering momentum.

Organisers of the anti-government march say several thousand people have gathered in the city centre. About 50 protesters managed to reach the square where the protest was due to take place but they were surrounded by hundreds of police and some were arrested, Reuters reported.

11.44am: Egypt's state television says the country's night-time curfew has been relaxed. It will now start at midnight and end at 6am, instead of running from 8pm to 6am.

11.47am: Egyptian airport officials have announced that current or former officials from Mubarak's government are banned from travelling without permission.

11.49am: Here's a round-up of coverage of the Egyptian revolution in today's Guardian.

The lead story notes how, when it finally came, the end was swift for Mubarak – with vice-president Omar Suleiman taking just 30 seconds to announce the president was standing down. The emotional reaction from the jubilant crowds in Cairo was summed up by protester Karim Medhat Ennarah:

"For 18 days we have withstood teargas, rubber bullets, live ammunition, Molotov cocktails, thugs on horseback, the scepticism and fear of our loved ones, and the worst sort of ambivalence from an international community that claims to care about democracy. But we held our ground. We did it."

Novelist Ahdaf Soueif, who has written a series of eyewitness accounts of the protests for the Guardian, writes that for Egyptians the work now begins to "rebuild our country in as exemplary a fashion as the one in which we won it back".

There's an analysis piece on the role of the military in the transition of power, which considers whether Egypt's powerful generals are up for steering the country towards democratic reform.

Jack Shenker, who has been in the midst of the protests in Cairo, gives an account of the disbelief and elation that gripped the crowds as Mubarak bowed out.

At 6pm, beneath the belle epoque domes of the building from which President Hosni Mubarak had ruled for so long, a cry went out that he was gone. Most of those below have never known another leader, and in an instant the street was convulsed with a wild, directionless surge of energy. For a few moments it was simply a wall of sound, and Egypt's national colours blurred through the sky from every angle. And then the world came back into focus. "Freedom," roared a jubilant crush of humanity as the party got under way.

There's a round up of the reaction from world leaders to Mubarak's departure, which focuses on the United States, which had long supported the fallen president.

There's also a profile of Mubarak which contends that it was Egypt's faltering economy that spurred the protests which finally felled him.

12.18pm: More on the travel ban imposed on current and ex-government officials. They cannot travel without permission from either the state prosecutor or the armed forces, AP reports.

Airport told the news agency that they have a list of officials from the former regime and have already prevented the information minister from leaving.

12.22pm: Pro-democracy activists in Cairo's Tahrir Square have vowed to stay there until the higher military council accepts their agenda for reform, Reuters reports.

The core group of protest organisers has demanded civilian involvement in the transition of power and the lifting of a state of emergency that was used by Mubarak to crush dissent. They also want all political prisoners to be released and the military courts disbanded.

12.34pm: Authoritarian regimes are not joining in the celebrations over Mubarak's departure with some trying to censor the news, AP reports.

In China media reports downplayed the scale of pro-democracy protests in Egypt and instead highlighted the country's disorder.

Equatorial Guinea, where coup leader Teodoro Obiang has held power since 1979, state-controlled media was ordered to stop reporting about Egypt altogether, according to afrol.com.

12.36pm: Reuters has from the crowds still gathered in central Cairo.

"The army is with us but it must realise our demands. Half revolutions kill nations," pharmacist Ghada Elmasalmy, 43, told the news agency. "Now we know our place, whenever there is injustice, we will come to Tahrir Square."

12.39pm: More details about the list of demands issued by protest leaders has emerged, Reuters reports.

"People's Communique No. 1" demands the dissolution of the cabinet Mubarak appointed on Jan. 29 and the suspension of the parliament elected in a rigged poll late last year.

The reformists want a transitional five-member presidential council made up of four civilians and one military person.

The communique calls for the formation of a transitional government to prepare for an election to take place within nine months, and of a body to draft a new democratic constitution.

It demands freedom for the media and syndicates, which represent groups such as lawyers, doctors and engineers, and for the formation of political parties. Military and emergency courts must be scrapped, the communique says.

12.57pm: Here's a round-up of what the other UK papers are saying about Mubarak's departure.

The Telegraph considers the tricky line the Obama administration must tread with Egypt's new rulers, given that the US bankrolled Mubarak's regime for years:

Walking a tightrope between supporting an old ally and encouraging his removal, [the White House] has lost its balance several times. Lost ground with the triumphant protesters has to be recovered.

The paper also considers how the freezing of Mubarak's Swiss assets could send a shiver down the spines of other Middle Eastern leaders.

The Independent offers another analysis piece on the crucial role of the military in a transition of power:

A present, despite its undoubted achievements in mobilising millions of Egyptians in protest against the established and military-backed political order, the opposition is not substantially more popular than the armed forces. (...) Some members of the opposition may seek to strike a deal with the military to retain some power.

Elsewhere in the paper, the director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, Fawaz A Gerges, writes that opposition groups need to maintain their demands for change or risk being sidelined in a power transition. But he adds:

"No one should underestimate how powerful a moment this is. The departure of Hosni Mubarak marks the beginning of the fall of the authoritarian wall in the Arab world."

1.32pm: Egypt's military rulers have promised the country will abide by its international agreements, a move seen to allay concerns that the country's peace deal with Israel could be under threat, AP reports.

The military has also asked the current government, appointed by Mubarak, to continue operating until a new one is formed. It also says it is committed to eventually handing over power to an elected administration.

Saturday's military statement is its first indication of the next steps after Mubarak's fall, but left unanswered the question of how long the current government would stay in place.

1.39pm: Saudi Arabia welcomes the peaceful transition of power in Egypt, its state news agency has reported. "The government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the peaceful transition of power in the Arab republic of Egypt, and expresses hope in the efforts of the Egyptian armed forces to restore peace, stability and tranquility," the news agency said, according to Reuters.

2.15pm: Opposition members in Uganda are threatening Egypt-style protests if next Friday's presidential election is rigged so that Yoweri Museveni can extend his 25-year grip on power, AP reports. Museveni is widely expected to win another term in office, and the Ugandan military and police would probably crush any attempted revolt.

2.27pm: The regulator of Egypt's stock market says the resumption of trading has been put off by three more days and that it will reopen on Wednesday rather than Sunday. The statement said more consultation with brokers and companies are needed, AP has reported. The stock market has been shut since 28 January, three days after the uprising that has ousted Mubarak.

In the two days before the closure, the market's benchmark EGX30 index had dropped almost 17%. The crisis has rattled international investors, prompting an exodus of foreign funds and raising worries about sharp fluctuations when the market reopens. Communications and banking services have largely been restored.

2.40pm: Harriet Sherwood, the Guardian's Jerusalem correpondent, has sent through this update from Sharm el Sheikh about Mubarak's current whereabouts.

An armed policemen standing guard with a dozen others outside Mubarak's residence in Sharm el Sheikh confirmed that the former president is in residence, although he refused to answer further questions before taking my details and requesting I leave the area. The Red Sea resort, normally crowded with tourists at this time of year, is almost deserted, although there is a significant police presence on the streets. There have been no protests here during the last 18 days.

2.42pm: More on the army's statement on state TV about the military's role in a transition of power and its pledge to uphold Egypt's international treaties.

General Mohsen el-Fangari declared respect for the rule of law, which might be a sign that the military aims to avoid imposing martial law.

The military is "looking forward to a peaceful transition, for a free democratic system, to permit an elected civil authority to be in charge of the country, to build a democratic free nation," he said.

"The current government and governors undertake to manage affairs until the formation of a new government," he added.

"It was a good thing," Muhammed Ibrahim, one of many celebrating Mubarak's departure in Tahrir Square, told AP. "We don't want there to be a political void."

On the subject of Egypt's international treaties, the general said: "The Arab Republic of Egypt is committed to all regional and international obligations and treaties."

2.45pm: Thousands of human rights supporters are holding a rally in Trafalgar Square in solidarity with the Egyptian people's uprising, PA reports.

The Amnesty International rally – one of 46 held today in 16 countries – was organised before Mubarak resigned.

Salil Shetty, Amnesty's secretary general, used the event to call for similar pro-democracy protests across the Middle East and North Africa. There were "many more" repressive regimes ruling over their people with an iron fist, he said.

Shetty told the crowd:



"We are here to show solidarity with the people of Egypt who have achieved the impossible in a couple of weeks. Today, we want to send a resounding message from Trafalgar Square to Tahrir Square that we are in solidarity with the people of Egypt. Following Mubarak's exit I have been asked if today's event is a protest or celebration. I say it's both."

3.26pm: Here's more international media reaction to the historic events in Egypt.

The New York Times has profiles of the two top Egyptian generals facing the challenge of overseeing the power transition.

The paper says one of them, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, is seen by American military officials as a strident opponent of political change. Howver, it adds:

Tantawi is portrayed by some senior American officers who know him personally as a shrewd operator who played a significant role in the relatively nonviolent ouster of his patron.

Meanwhile Lieutenant General Sami Hafez Enan, chief of staff of the armed forces, is less well known. However, American officials said "Enan had made it clear to them in several telephone calls to Washington that his troops would not fire on the protesters, even as the military sought to protect the institutions of government," the paper reports.

Al-Jazeera has a piece suggesting that the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia represents a resurgence of pan-Arabism. But, writes Lamis Adoni, it is not the same pan-Arabism as witnessed on the streets in the 1950s and 1960s, which drew on unhappiness with Western dominance and the creation of the state of Israel.

Today it is a reaction to the absence of democratic freedoms and the inequitable distribution of wealth across the Arab world.

3.53pm: Jack Shenker has sent through the text of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' statement about their role in the transition of power.

Some key points:

• The current government, and governors shall continue as a caretaker administration until a new government is formed. • The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces aspires to guaranteeing a peaceful transition of authority within a free and democratic system that allows for the assumption of authority by a civilian and elected authority to govern the country and the build of a democratic and free state. • The Arab Republic of Egypt is committed to all regional and international obligations and treaties. • The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces calls on the great people to cooperate with their siblings and children in the civilian police forces, for affection and cooperation must exist between everyone, and it calls on the civilian police forces must be committed to their slogan "the police serve the people".

3.58pm: The Egyptian protest organisers have announced they are forming a council to defend the revolution and negotiate with the military council now running the country, Reuters reports.

"The purpose of the Council of Trustees is to hold dialogue with the Higher Military Council and to carry the revolution forward through the transitional phase," said Khaled Abdel Qader Ouda, an academic.

"The council will have the authority to call for protests or call them off depending on how the situation develops," he added.

Ouda said the Council of Trustees would call for a mass rally next Friday to celebrate the success of the revolution.

The council would have about 20 members, including protest organisers, prominent individuals and leaders from across the political spectrum, he said.

4.00pm: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has released a curious statement about its intention during and after a transition of power. The group announced that it will not compete in any presidential elections or seek to gain a majority in parliament.

"The Muslim Brotherhood ... are not seeking personal gains, so they announce they will not run for the presidency and will not seek to get a majority in the parliament and that they consider themselves servants of these decent people. We support and value the sound direction that the Higher Military Council is taking on the way to transfer power peacefully to create a civilian government in line with the will of the people."

You can read a Guardian interview with the Muslim Brotherhood here.

4.12pm: Egyptian information minister Anas El-Fekky has been placed under house arrest, military sources have told Reuters. Fekky had been a close ally of Mubarak.

4.13pm: The main coalition of protest groups in Egypt says it will end the protest in Tahrir Square but wants to hold weekly demos.

4.20pm: Jack Shenker has sent through a link to a comment by Hossam El-Hamalawy, a journalist, activist and blogger, who writes about the dangers that lie ahead as Egypt wakes up to a military-led transition, and considers the measures that required to see this revolution through.

Not everyone sweeping up Cairo's central square today will agree with him, but for many Egyptians – including the more than 30 million who live below the poverty line – El Hamalawy's demand to "take Tahrir to the factories" will resonate deeply, Shenker notes.

4.24pm: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the statement by Egypt's military that Cairo will uphold its international treaties.

"The longstanding peace treaty between Israel and Egypt has greatly contributed to both countries and is the cornerstone for peace and stability in the entire Middle East," Netanyahu said in a statement.

4.38pm: We'll be closing the liveblog shortly, in the meantime here's a round-up of today's events.

• The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has issued a statement pledging to act as the caretaker government until a democratic government is elected. The council also pledged to uphold Egypt's international treaties, including its accord with Israel.

• Egyptian protest organisers have announced they are forming a council to defend the revolution and negotiate with the military council now running the country.

• Thousands of people have been celebrating Mubarak's departure in Cairo's Tahrir Square and across the country.

• Current and former government officials have been banned from travelling without permission.

• There have been violent clashes in Algeria and Yemen where protesters have held anti-government demonstrations inspired by the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.