After wreaking much violent havoc on Wednesday, henchmen of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak beat a retreat by this evening in the face of spirited rearguard push-back from pro-democracy activists. As night fell over Cairo, the mercenary loyalists of the President, widely suspected to be undercover state security operatives, were reportedly being forced further away from Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the Egyptian uprising.

At the same time, Mubarak very questionably blamed the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for the violence unfolding in Cairo, said his immediate resignation would plunge Egypt into further chaos and watched as his supporters attacked and detained scores of journalists. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess, but as each day passes, the people on the street have less and less to lose.

It’s critical to keep following events, especially as the Egyptian state moves to keep reporters from doing their jobs. All major news organizations are deploying resources in Egypt; Al Jazeera English is providing breaking coverage and following the #Cairo and #Egypt Twitter hash tags, along with this special Twitter list created by The Nation, is probably the best way to keep up on breaking news.

It’s also worthwhile to let the world know you stand with the people of Egypt by joining hundreds of thousands of other concerned citizens by signing Avaaz’s statement.  A global grassroots web movement, Avaaz is working with broadcasters whose signals reach inside Egypt to circulate the number of signatures on this solidarity statement, along with messages of support from around the world for Egypt’s people.

Finally, check out Avaaz for more ways to help maintain the morale, material circumstances and staying power of the Egyptian people.