Arab Spring: how it all began from north Africa

Ten years ago, the Arab Spring emerged. This wave of mass protests and unrest has swept through at least 20 countries in North Africa and the Middle East. In Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen, revolutions toppled governments. In Iraq and Syria, civil wars have broken out. In other countries, popular protests have led to reforms and concessions from governments. This revolution has also spread to non-Arab states in the region, such as Burkina Faso and Mali. ©AFP/GHAITH OMRAN – In Syria, the Arab Spring sparked a civil war that continues today. Pictured: Strike against Syrian government forces by militants from the Ahrar al-Sham brigade, a member of the Islamic Front coalition, October 14, 2014. ©AP/KHALID MOHAMMED - Following democratic elections, radical Islamic movements have come to power in some countries, for example, in Tunisia. The economic damage to the region is between 225 and 600 billion dollars. Pictured: Participants in an anti-government rally in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, February 23, 2011. ©AFP/ACHILLEAS ZAVALLIS - Man injured in a bombardment in front of a closed shop in Aleppo, September 4, 2012. ©SPUTNIK/ANDREY STENIN - From Tunisia, the wave of unrest spread to Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, and Yemen, and then to other countries. Pictured: Benghazi’s residents, Libya burn portraits of Muammar Gaddafi, posters with his quotes and his Green Book, March 2, 2011. ©SPUTNIK/ANDREY STENIN - In Egypt, the Arab Spring took place from January 25 to February 11, 2011. The largest and most organized protests often took place on the “day of wrath,” usually during Friday prayers. ©AP/NASSER NASSER - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown on August 23, 2011, and killed on October 20, 2011, in his hometown of Sirte. Pictured: Libyan rebel firing at government forces near the town of Marsa El Brega in eastern Libya on March 31, 2011. ©AP/EMILIO MORENATTI - In Egypt, around 1,000 people died due to mass protests that were accompanied by clashes with the police. Pictured: A protester argues with a policeman in Tahrir Square in Cairo, February 13, 2011. ©AFP/FETHI BELAID - The trigger for the Arab Spring was Mohammed Bouazizi’s self-immolation on December 17, 2010 in Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia, to protest against police corruption. This tragic death generated a series of dramatic and sometimes tragic, events in the Middle East and North Africa countries. In the photo: Demonstrators in front of the prefecture of Sidi Bouzid, January 10, 2011.