Ten years on, anger simmers in Tunisian town where 'Arab Spring' began over joblessness, inequality
Ten years ago, a fruit seller set himself ablaze in the central Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid after an altercation with a policewoman about where he had put his cart. Word of Mohammed Bouazizi’s fatal act of defiance quickly spread, sparking nationwide protests that eventually toppled Tunisia’s long-serving leader and helped inspire similar uprisings across the region -- the so-called 'Arab Spring'.
Reuters
December 15, 2020 / 20:53 IST
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Ten years ago, a fruit seller set himself ablaze in the central Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid after an altercation with a policewoman about where he had put his cart. Word of Mohammed Bouazizi’s fatal act of defiance quickly spread, sparking nationwide protests that eventually toppled Tunisia’s long-serving leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and helped inspire similar uprisings across the region - the so-called 'Arab Spring'. (Image: Reuters)
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Huge demonstrations broke out in Egypt and Bahrain, and governments fell and civil war engulfed Libya, Syria and Yemen. Tunisians are now free to choose their leaders and can publicly criticise the state. Yet for all the chaos they have been through, many people look back on the events of 2010 and regret that their dreams remain unfulfilled. Protests have flared again in recent weeks across Tunisia’s poorer southern towns against joblessness, poor state services, inequality and shortages. (Above) A picture of Mohamed Bouazizi is displayed on the post office building in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, on December 8, 2020. (Image: Reuters)
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The scramble to get enough cooking gas to provide for families underlines the hardships ordinary people face in a country where the economy has stagnated, leaving the public as angry as it was a decade ago. Bigger demonstrations may take place in Tunisia on Thursday, the anniversary of Bouazizi’s self-immolation after his fruit cart was confiscated when he refused to move off an unlicensed pitch. (Above) People queue up to get cooking gas outside a main outlet in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, on December 8, 2020. (Image: Reuters)
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Mohammed Bouali, 37, a street fruit seller who used to work on the same street with Mohamed Bouazizi, stands near his cart in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, on December 8, 2020. (Image: Reuters)
After Mohamed Bouazizi's death, Tunisia’s revolution spread. By January 2011, thousands were marching in Tunis and President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, in power for 23 years, realised the game was up. He fled to Saudi Arabia where he died in exile last year. In Egypt, the crowds forced Hosni Mubarak from power after 30 years as president. Hope for a new democratic future soon turned to bloodshed, particularly in Syria, Yemen and Libya, where civil wars pulled in major powers fearful their regional foes would gain an advantage. Though Tunisia’s path to democracy has been far smoother, its economy has deteriorated and political leaders appear paralysed. Here a girl walks past a memorial for Mohamed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, on December 8, 2020. Graffiti reads: "The people want". (Image: Reuters)
![A girl walks past a memorial for Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who set himself alight 10 years ago on December 17, 2010, in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia December 8, 2020. Graffiti reads: "The people want". Picture taken December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Angus McDowall - RC2MNK9OQXYL](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2020/12/RTX8G8KB.jpg "A girl walks past a memorial for Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who set himself alight 10 years ago on December 17, 2010, in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia December 8, 2020. Graffiti reads: "The people want". Picture taken December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Angus McDowall - RC2MNK9OQXYL")
