Year of the Arab uprising
- 1/6
The Egyptian January 25 revolution followed soon after Tunisians had toppled Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In a short space of time hundreds of thousands of Egyptians were occupying Tahrir Square in Cairo – Egypt’s capital city. Police fired live rounds at demonstrators killing many. The unrest continues today, despite having forced President Mubarak to step aside handing power to the military. A presidential election has been promised but it remains to be seen whether this happens. Many hundreds have died in the ongoing unrest. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)
- 2/6
In Libya the fiercely fought civil war was preceded by demonstrations in Benghazi which started on February 15, 2011. Civil war broke out across the nation with a no fly zone implemented by the UN. In the months that followed a rebel force led by the National Transitional Council (NTC) fought ground battles with forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi – mostly mercenaries brought in from neighbouring countries. On October 20 Gaddafi was captured by rebel fighters near Sirte – he was killed shortly after. The war is officially over and the NTC is working towards an elected government. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
- 3/6
Demonstrations began in Syria on January 26, 2011, with people calling for President Bashar al Assad to step down. No independent media has been allowed into the country, but it is believed that as many as 4,000 men, women and children have been killed by the army and militia. In a recent TV interview Assad denied responsibility for the killings, saying that only a ‘crazy’ leader would kill his own people. The Arab League has tried to put pressure on the president to force the killings to stop. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images)
- 4/6
Yemeni anti-regime protesters have been calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh from mid January when tens of thousands marched on Sana’a. There have been attempts to assassinate the president who has said he will step down, after signing a power transfer agreement on November 23. Many people have died since the protests began. But the situation in Yemen is made more complicated by the addition of a strong presence of the terror network Al Qaeda. (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images)
- 5/6
The Arab uprisings started in Tunisia 2010 and led to the eventual resignation of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who fled to Saudi Arabia. There have been elections held, which have been followed by further demonstrations by those concerned by the gains made by Islamist politicians. (Photo by FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images)
- 6/6
Demonstrations in Bahrain among mostly Shi’ite protesters began on February 14, 2011. A camp was erected at the Pearl roundabout. Initially the security forces tried to use force, opening fire on demonstrators killing several. Since then there have been some economic concessions made by King Hamad. Although the demonstration at the roundabout has long since ended and the iconic Pearl monument demolished, the situation remains unstable. (Photo by PHIL WEYMOUTH/AFP/Getty Images)