Arab Spring: How Mohamed Bouazizi changed the world

Exactly one year ago this weekend, a harassed Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire. No one could have known at the time, but his final desperate act began a revolutionary wave of protests calling for the end of corrupt regimes across the Arab world.

This wave swept across North Africa and the Middle East, beginning with the fall of the Tunisian government. On the first anniversary of his act of self-immolation, we take a look at how far the Arab world has travelled since Mohamed Bouazizi helped its people take the first steps towards greater civil rights.

Tunisia

Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire because in protest against local police who consistently confiscated his wares. He was also believed to have been harassed by a local official and her aides. The self-immolation of the 26-year-old street vendor from the little town of Sidi Bouzid on 17 December led to uprisings that within days engulfed the capital Tunis.

Weeks of violent protests and riots forced the Tunisian government to fall and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to end his presidency after almost 23 years in power. Elections were held in October marking a huge democratic victory for the country.

Following the protests in Tunisia at the end of 2010, other Arab states saw that regime change was within their power – strikes, marches and rallies held in defiance of other oppressive governments spread across the Middle East and Africa.

Sadly, Bouazizi’s act was echoed by other protesters with Arab commentators billing them as “heroic martyrs of a new Middle Eastern revolution”. Fierce responses from authorities, pro-government militias and counter-demonstrations frequently spiralled into violence.

In some countries, massive protests pressured prime ministers and governments into resigning while constitutional reform, respect for human rights, release of political prisoners and economic concessions were granted in others.

Libya

One of the countries to feel the biggest impacts from the Arab Spring was Libya, which had been under the rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi since 1969. It began with peaceful protests, in a similar fashion to the other North African countries that took part in the Arab Spring, before growing into a full-blown deadly civil war in February.

Gaddafi loyalists and rebel forces battled one another from towns to cities. With Nato intervening to help the rebel resistance and liberate Libya, the National Transitional Council was formed to act as the ‘political face of the revolution’.

[Related story: 'I helped in the battle to overthrow Gaddafi']

By August it was clear that Gaddafi – who had gone into hiding – was losing both on Libya's battlefields and in the diplomatic struggle. Rebel forces had claimed Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli – as seen by photographs of rebels sprawled across his bed and riding around his famous golf buggy.

In October, as news broke that Colonel Gaddafi was wanted for war crimes, rebels caught up with the former dictator in Sirte ending the tyrant's 42-year reign over Libya. The civilian National Transitional Council is now running the country.

Egypt

In February, following 18 days of protests, activists against Egypt’s military rule forced President Hosni Mubarak out of office after 30 years in power. But their work didn’t end there. Mubarek was replaced with a predominantly military government and protesters took to Cairo’s Tahrir Square again in November leading to more violent clashes.

This time seems to have worked and on 28 November elections were held to choose the first post-revolution civilian parliament with the promise to be the nation's first fair and clean vote.

[Related story: 'I was tear-gassed in Cairo']

Syria

The situation in Syria echoes what Libya experienced earlier this year, with protests ending up in a nationwide revolt in March. Inspired by the Arab Spring, anti-government protesters are calling for President Bashar al Assad to resign and have attacked the government in southern province of Deraa.

President Assad, who has refused to step down despite international pressure, instructed his security forces to quell the unrest. This week, the United Nations put the death toll from the nine-month-old uprising at 5,000.

On 23 November the UN human rights committee passed a resolution – proposed by Britain, France and Germany – condemning the violence.

Persian Gulf states

In other Persian Gulf states – including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain – clashes also ended in deadly violence. So far, the waves of disorder across the Arab world have claimed the lives of an estimated 40,000 people with the Spring still ongoing.