CAIRO

 A group of political opponents have called for toppling the regime of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, a few weeks before the 5th anniversary of a popular uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

In a Tuesday statement, the opponents called on Egyptians “to join hands with a view of toppling the ruling regime.”

The statement was released amid calls on social media for street protests on Jan. 25, which marks the 5th anniversary of the anti-Mubarak uprising.

The statement said that the “current turmoil in the region has revealed a major plot being orchestrated against the nation.”

Egypt has been roiled by turbulence since the military deposed President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 coup. The democratically-elected president had served just one year in office.

Following Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds and arresting thousands of opponents. Hundreds of anti-regime opponents have also fled the country to seek refuge abroad.

According to human rights groups, more than 40,000 people have been detained by Egyptian authorities over the past two years.