Egyptian protesters plan march of million people

The massive uprising to oust Egyptian president of 30 years Hosni Mubarak were scaled up Monday with protesters, who have defied curfew and remain unfazed despite fighter jets and tanks, planning to hold a march of over a million people through the streets of Cairo Tuesday, IANS reports.

The plan is to have more than a million people on the streets, Al Jazeera reported Monday.

Several hundred demonstrators remained camped out in Tahrir square in central Cairo early Monday morning, defying a curfew. At least 150 people have died so far in violence linked to the unrest.

The demonstrators had been addressed Sunday by leading opposition activist and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammed ElBaradei who promised that change would come to their country.

"What we have begun today cannot be turned back," the Nobel Peace Prize winner told the crowd in Cairo's central Tahrir Square through a megaphone on what he termed an "historic day".

"We are beginning a new era in Egypt," thundered ElBaradei.

DPA reported that ElBaradei is trying to organize the opposition, but faces some scepticism, largely owing to his many years outside the country.

The US, Egypt's key ally, said it expected events in Egypt to lead to a "transition", ending with democratic elections, as President Barack Obama consulted with key leaders in the region.