Egyptian army to protesters: It’s time to go home

“We must leave. Egypt is divided. There will be war,” one young girl wailed.

“A young man with the pro-Mubarak group sat on a railing and stared darkly at the anti-government crowds. “They will not sleep here tonight in Tahrir Square,” he said.

With Mubarak promising to step down after elections this fall, military spokesman Ismail Etman said in a Wednesday morning television address that the protesters should focus on “returning normal life to Egypt.”

“Your message has arrived, your demands became known,” Etman said. The government-controlled station then broadcast a printed message that read: “The armed forces call on the protesters to go home for the sake of bringing back stability.”