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12 Things You Didn’t Know About The Arab Spring

12 Things You Didn’t Know About The Arab Spring

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The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests that rocked Middle East and the North African nations of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. It started on December 18, 2010 in Tunis, Tunisia.

The revolution led to the fall of long standing regimes in the region. In Libya, various factions sprang up, trying to seize control of the nation. Most parts of the country are still relatively unstable.

Below are 12 things to know about the revolution.

Sources; npr, Independent, BBC, CNN, Aljazeera, The Atlantic, amnesty International, Mail Online, The New York Times, Al Arabiya News, The Daily Signal, The Times, The Economist, The Guardian

Image: crimethinc.com
Image: crimethinc.com

It started after a Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire

Mohamed Bouaziz, a street vendor in Sidi Bouzid town set himself on fire on December 17, 2010 after a government official violently confiscated his vegetable hand-cart and banned him from selling fruit and vegetables. It led to public outrage that hit the Maghreb nation, as Tunisians took to streets protesting against corruption and police repression under former president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime.

social media
ibtimes.com

African govts. banned social media

Several governments across the continent banned media coverage of the Arab Spring. In Zimbabwe, authorities arrested activists who circulated videos of the protests. Munyaradzi Gwisai, a human rights activist was fined $500 for watching videos of the protests.

REUTERS/Stringer
REUTERS/Stringer

Zimbabwe banned watching of Arab Spring video

In February 2011, the government of Zimbabwe arrested dozens of human rights activists for watching videos of the protests in Tunisia and Egypt. It accused them of plotting to overthrow the government. Prosecutors argued that the defendants wanted to incite Zimbabweans against President Robert Mugabe’s regime. They were fined $50 and ordered to perform 420 hours of community service.

Thinkstock
Thinkstock

Several people were displaced and needed aid

In Libya, the Arab Spring displaced at least 435,000 civilians.  They sought shelter in camps, schools and warehouse. It left about 2.5 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

egypt unrest

Egypt sentenced 183 protesters to death

In Egypt, the government arrested at least 22,000 people between July 2013 and July 2014 for what it described as dissent. In February 2015, a court sentenced 183 people to death on charges of political violence in the capital, Cairo.  By October 2015, more than 11,800 people had been arrested for ‘taking part in terrorism related activities.

Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: Globalresearch.ca
Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: Globalresearch.ca

The Battle of Sirte

The revolution led to the killing of former Libyan ruler, Muammar Gaddafi on October 20, 2011 in the infamous ‘Battle of Sirte’. In January 2011, former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, stepped down after 23 years in power. In February 2011, revolutionary rebels overthrew former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak, ending his 30-year old stay in power. In June 2016, a court sentenced former president Mohammed Morsi to life in prison for leading an illegal organization and spying.

Libya
A Qaddafi supporter holds a portrait of the Libyan leader as fireworks go up in the background on a soccer field. (Photo: thisisthewhat.com)

Africa’s ‘King of Kings’ was fished from a ditch

National Transitional Council fighters found Muammar Gaddafi in a ditch in Sirte. He was badly wounded and died hours later. This was an ironical end to the self-styled ‘King of Kings’ who led Libya for 42 years. He had other self-created titles; Dean of Arab Rulers and The Colonel.

Islamic State
An ISIS fighter holding a flag (image: ewn.co.za)

The rise of terror groups

In Libya, Arab Spring led to the rise of terror organizations that took advantage of the power vacuum. These included groups like Al-Mulathamun Battalion (Those Who Sign in Blood) and Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi. Al-Mulathamun Battalion split from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Ansar al-Sharia sprang up in Tunisia.

tanneries of fez
Morocco, Fes, Medina, Tanneries souk. Photo: Des/Getty

Morocco and Algeria survived the Arab Spring

Morocco and Algeria are the only Maghreb nations that did not experience the Arab Spring.

Thinkstock
Thinkstock

The Arab Spring drove youth to terror groups

It was the genesis of Arab Spring.  The nation produced a relatively stable government after the revolution, but lost her unemployed youth to terrorist groups By July 2016, at least 6,000 youths had joined Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), a Jihadist militant group that was founded in 1999.

Thinkstock
Thinkstock

Social media played a key role

In Egypt and Tunisia, activists used Twitter and Facebook to mobilize the masses into protests. The two were used to coordinate the masses and YouTube was used to ‘tell the world’ what was happening.

Youtube/VoiceofAmerica
Youtube/VoiceofAmerica

Human rights violations rose in most countries

The Arab Spring did not lead to well-established democracies and respect for human rights and freedoms as many expected, except in Tunisia which is enjoying increased democratic space. In Egypt and Libya, the ousting of Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi respectively created new regimes that have increasingly clamped down on human rights and freedoms. In Libya, militias are fighting for control of the nation while Egypt is under a repressive military regime.