c A desperate act by a young unemployed man on 17 December triggered a series of protests and clashes with the police. The man set fire to himself when officials in his town prevented him from selling vegetables on the streets of Sidi Bouzid without permission. This set off protests about jobs and the rising cost of food. These demonstrations then spread elsewhere. h But the violent response of the authorities - with the police opening fire on demonstrators - appears to have made people more angry and ignited further protests. The unrest is also seen as being about problems with the ruling elite and the suppression of political freedoms. The clashes became much more deadly on the weekend of 8-9 January, and then spread to the capital Tunis. i A new government has now been formed in Tunisia, after President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country. Some people are still angry because several ministers from the former ruling party have been kept in key ministerial positions. e The protests began on 25 January 2011 when Egyptians gathered in the capital city Cairo after an internet campaign. It was inspired by the protests in Tunisia in the same month. The police used water cannon and tear gas to try to stop the protesters, and the government imposed a curfew - an order that means everyone has to be indoors after a certain time of day. But the people ignored the government and even more demonstrations happened in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Ismailiya. d On 2 February, supporters of the government surged into Tahrir Square in Cairo and violent fighting broke out between them and the protesters. Around 300 people were killed in the first 10 days of clashes. On 11 February, Egypt's Vice President Omar Suleiman announced on Egyptian TV that President Mubarak was stepping down. It was announced that the military would run the country for the time being. f There are lots of other countries in that region that also don't have democracies - that's when the people choose the government, like here in the UK. Their leaders might be worried about people rising up against them in their countries, now that Egyptians have. g Huge anti-government protests have been raging throughout Libya. Crowds of demonstrators have been demanding that their leader, Colonel Gaddafi, quits. Libyan troops have been accused of opening fire on protesters in the city of Benghazi and estimates suggest that over 230 people have died. On 20 th February, protests reached the country's capital, Tripoli b It's hard to find out exactly what's going on in Libya because officials there have put loads of restrictions on the media and there aren't many foreign journalists there. The violence used by troops has been criticised by the UK, America and other western nations. a Col Gaddafi has been in power for more than 40 years and is the longest- serving leader in the Arab world. On 20 th February one of his sons appeared on TV saying his father wouldn't give up power without a fight. He said people were trying to copy the recent demonstrations in Egypt and claimed that only a few had died in the clashes between protesters and the army. Libya is the latest country to find itself up against a wave of anti-government protests, following the similar demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia. ANARCHY IN AFRICA STATEMENTS