Egyptian army calls for Sisi ouster, vows to protect protesters

A group of Egyptian army officers vowed to protect protesters as they urged citizens to take to the streets to oust President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and topple his putschist regime, according to a report by a U.K.-based news website.

According to the Sept. 23 Al-Khaleej Online report cited by the Middle East Monitor, The Egypt Officers Front, which claims to be loyal to former chief Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Sami Anan, vowed to protect protesters.

The group said it would protect demonstrators “exactly as happened on 25 January 2011” when a revolution toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak, according to a Facebook post published by the group.

After being named by the group as the official spokesman for Sami Anan, Mahmoud Refaat confirmed the report, saying he would “release the names of officers that would protect demonstrators,” calling them the “honorable officers of the Egyptian army.”

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in central Cairo and several other cities Friday against Sisi, a former army general who came to power in 2014 after ousting democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi.

The protests came in response to calls for Sisi to step down by Mohamed Ali, a former army contractor, who accused Sisi and the military of corruption.

More than 350 people have been arrested across Egypt since Friday, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF).

Trump also threw his support behind the Egyptian leader, saying “he has done some things that are absolutely amazing in a short period of time."

"When he took over, it was in turmoil. But it's not in turmoil anymore. I just wanted to say we have a long-term great relationship. It's better than ever before.”