In Pictures

Tunisian Revolution

The Tunisian Revolution of 2011 marked the start of the Arab Spring.

Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali visits Mohamed Bouazizi, right, the protester who set himself alight during a demonstration against unemployment, at a hospital in Ben Arous near Tunis on December 28, 2010. [Tunisian Presidency Handout/Reuters]

17 Dec 2015

An intense campaign of civil resistance with street demonstrations made up the Tunisian Revolution, also known as the Jasmine Revolution.

The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a vegetable vendor, the lone breadwinner of his family of seven, ignited nationwide protests and led to the ousting of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his regime.

Twenty-six-year-old Bouazizi was getting ready to sell fruits and vegetables in the rural town of Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia when he was allegedly slapped by police because of his refusal to hand over his unauthorised cart to the authorities. The humiliated vendor marched to the front of a government building and set himself on fire.

News of this act of desperation spread across Sidi Bouzid, leading to anger and protest. Within days, uprisings mushroomed across the whole country with protesters chanting slogans and demanding a solution to the vast unemployment and the dire economic state of the country. Ben Ali officially resigned after 28 days on January 14, 2011, putting an end to his 23-year-long rule.

Unemployment, food inflation, corruption, lack of political freedom and poor living conditions were the underlying reasons for the demonstrations.

Candles surround a picture of Bouazizi, a vegetable seller - who set himself alight on December 17 and ignited nationwide protests that forced then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country - during a night-time vigil in downtown Tunis, on January 22, 2011. [Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters]

Protesters from the countryside and the hamlet of Sidi Bouzid, the town where the 'Jasmine Revolution' started, walked through the night to descend on the prime minister's office, where they tore down razor-wire barricades. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

Revolutionary graffiti adorns a wall of the prime minister's office in Tunis on January 22, 2011. [Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters]

A portrait of Mohamed Bouazizi, who has become a hero in Tunisia ever since he doused himself in petrol, set himself alight and died of his injuries, is displayed from a post in Avenue Habib Bourguiba on January 23, 2011, in Tunis, Tunisia. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

Protesters climb on to the City Hall Monument near the prime minister's office to listen to Rachid Ammar, the chief of the general staff of the Tunisian army, on January 24, 2011, in Tunis. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

Protesters draped in flags rest outside the Tunisian prime minister's office on January 24, 2011, in Tunis. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

Protesters parade along Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis on January 24, 2011. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

A soldier arranges flowers on his tank as an uneasy peace hangs over Tunisia on January 21, 2011, in Tunis. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

Rachid Ammar, chief of the general staff of the Tunisian army, addresses protesters at the City Hall Monument near the prime minister's office on January 24, 2011, in Tunis. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

Tunisians climb government buildings and continue their demonstrations outside Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi's office in Government Square on January 25, 2011, in Tunis, Tunisia. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

Government Square has become a makeshift camp as protesters defy the emergency curfew and sleep on the ground on January 25, 2011 in Tunis. Many vow to continue until the interim cabinet resigns. [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

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