Opposition Leader’s Death Creates Havoc in Tunisia
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FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images(TUNIS, Tunisia) — Tunisia, which spawned the so-called “Arab Spring” just over two years ago, is again experiencing political turmoil.
The apparent assassination Wednesday of opposition leader Chokri Belaid spurred Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali to announce that he would form a new government free of political affiliations.
In doing so, Jebali is hoping to head off more civil unrest as thousands of protesters clashed with police in the capital of Tunis.
Belaid was reportedly gunned down by a hooded shooter while leaving his home. Belaid, who helped lead a leftist coalition, was critical of Tunisia’s Islamist government.
It was in January 2011 that pro-democracy demonstrations forced the resignation of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Many of the protests were fueled by social networking Internet sites, including Facebook and Twitter.
The revolution ushered in what came to be known as the “Arab Spring,” a movement that has had monumental repercussions throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa since then.
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