The Arab Spring began on 26 December 2010 when the Tunisian police seized a vegetable cart from unemployed Mohamed Bouazizi. In protest, Bouazizi set fire to himself and later died. Demonstrations against President Ben Ali’s corrupt regime quickly spread through Tunisia.
Bouazizi was 26 years old, typical of the middle east and north Africa (MENA) region’s youthful population (Inset 1). With no formal employment, he had been forced to sell vegetables informally to make a living. Data from the International Labour Organisation reveal that Bouazizi was not unusual. Youth unemployment in 2010 was 29.4% in Tunisia, 28.1% in Jordan and 21.5% in Algeria. Young, unemployed men are a significant demographic across the MENA region.
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