“Cruel leaders are replaced only to have new leaders turn cruel.” –Che Guevara

Barely 8 years after the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, another dissatisfied Tunisian, Abdel Razaq Zorgui, a 32-year-old journalist, has died after setting himself ablaze.

In 2011, the death of Mohamed Bouazizi sparked a series of protests in Tunisia that eventually culminated into the stepping down of Ben Ali, the despotic leader who had ruled for 24 years.

Amongst other things, Bouazizi, a street vendor, was frustrated with the harassment from police officers and market inspectors, who usually asked for bribes. He was more irritated when in December 2010; some market inspectors confiscated some of his wares on the ground that he did not have the requisite permit. Contrarily, a secondary witness alleged that his scales were confiscated because he refused to pay a bribe.

Worst still, he felt humiliated when a female police officer slapped him publicly and insulted his deceased father. In anger, Bouazizi went to the local governor’s office to register his displeasure but he was not granted access to speak with the governor. He set himself ablaze later that day outside the governor’s office, leading to severe injuries.

Already, the despotic government of Ben Ali was sitting on a keg of gunpowder because of the unemployment rate amongst the graduates, corruption in the country, underemployment, and poor living conditions in Tunisia.

Bouazizi’s death only triggered an outrage that became a rallying point for the people who had endured the 24 years of Ben Ali’s despotism to come out en masse and protest against his rule. The government’s opposition took advantage of this movement by using social media to attract international attention.

The persistence of the protest and the pressure from the international community forced Ben Ali to step down and flee from the country to Saudi Arabia.

Since the spontaneous revolution ushered in a new government, Tunisia has not fared better. Yes, the revolution ended the over two decades of Ben Ali’s rule but the underlying issues of unemployment, politicians breaking their promises, harsh economic reality, inflation caused by the devaluation of the Tunisian Dinar, poor living conditions, lack of investment and large deficit, have still not been dealt with.

Worse, there is a general feeling of hopelessness, which is why Abdel Razaq Zorgui before setting himself ablaze said, “For the sons of Kasserine who have no means of subsistence, today I start a revolution. I am going to set myself on fire.”

Importantly, Zorgui was not the first to set himself ablaze after Bouazizi immolated himself in 2010. An unemployed mother of five, whose welfare checks had stopped, also set herself ablaze last year. This fatal way of protest shows that Tunisians’ condition has not improved even after a revolution.

There has been protesting on the streets of Kasserine since Zorgui’s death. Protesters have allegedly clashed with police outside the governor’s office. However, the question of whether the protest in Kasserine will attract national solidarity remains complex to answer. Some of those people who participated in the 2011 revolution are dissatisfied with its outcomes. They feel the revolution aggravated the social conditions and did not bring about a desirable economic end.

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Notwithstanding, it will be an error to underestimate the possibility of another revolution if the Tunisian authority does not quell the protest in the western city on time. A revolution is unpredictable especially in a country where many of the highly educated able-bodied men are unemployed.

From history, a revolution has always started with a few defiant elements who became frustrated with the poor living condition and misapplication of social justice in society before it gained a wider acceptance. Hence, there is every possibility that a small rage in Kasserine can degenerate into a revolution if it gains the sympathy of the other provinces.

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