2011 Africa and Middle East Unrest Fast Facts - CNN

2011 Africa and Middle East Unrest Fast Facts

CAIRO, EGYPT - A woman cheers in Tahrir Square after it is announced that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was giving up power February 11, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. After 18 days of widespread protests, Mubarak announced that he would step down.

(CNN)Here is a look at Arab Spring, anti-government protests that began in Tunisia in December 2010 and spread throughout the Middle East and Africa in 2011.

Algeria

January 4, 2011 - Protests begin, sparked by an increase in food prices.
    January 9, 2011 - Within the span of a week, three people are killed and 300 others are injured during riots.
      January 22, 2011 - Demonstrators defy a government ban on street protests and march in the city of Algiers. Nine people are arrested and 19 are injured, including eight police officers. The people participating in the protest call for the government to release detainees and lift a state of emergency that dates back to 1992.

      Bahrain

        March 14, 2011 - Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates send in military troops under the banner of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
        June 13, 2011 - The trial of 47 doctors and nurses begins in Manama. They are accused of taking control of a hospital during protests.
        September 17, 2011 - Tens of thousands of people protest following the funeral of a man who died in questionable circumstances. He allegedly died following a tear gas attack on his father's home. The government maintains he died of sickle cell anemia.

        Egypt

        January 25, 2011 - Anti-government protests erupt. Several thousand demonstrators take over Tahrir Square in Cairo.
        February 1, 2011 - Mubarak announces he will not seek reelection in September. Protests continue, calling for Mubarak's immediate resignation.
        February 11, 2011 - Suleiman announces that Mubarak has stepped down. The Armed Forces Supreme Council is assigned to run the affairs of the country.

        Jordan

        February 1, 2011 - King Abdullah II replaces his cabinet and appoints a new prime minister in response to public pressure.
        March 28, 2011 - Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit announces that security forces will arrest anyone who tries to prevent another from expressing his/her views in a non-violent, legal way.
        June 12, 2011 - King Abdullah II announces sweeping reforms in a televised speech. He announces that the country will establish a parliamentary majority government.

        Kuwait

        December 6, 2011 - The emir dissolves the country's parliament in a further effort to restore stability.

        Libya

        February 16, 2011 - Police crackdown on protesters as anti-government demonstrations take place in Benghazi. Within days, the protests spread to Tripoli and more than 200 people are killed amid the upheaval.
        February 26, 2011 - The United Nations Security Council imposes sanctions against Libya, including a freeze on Gadhafi's assets.
        March 7, 2011 - NATO announces it has launched around-the-clock surveillance flights of Libya as it considers various options for dealing with escalating violence.
        March 19, 2011 - French, British and American military forces begin the first phase of Operation Odyssey Dawn, aimed at enforcing the no-fly zone.
        June 27, 2011 - The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Gadhafi.
        October 20, 2011 - Gadhafi dies of a gunshot wound to the head after being captured by rebel forces in his hometown of Sirte.
        For developments in Libya after October 2011, see Libya Civil War Fast Facts.

        Syria

        March 18, 2011 - Security forces clash with protesters in Daraa, who are demonstrating for the release of children and teens detained for writing political graffiti, according to a Human Rights Watch report.
        March 23-25, 2011 - Protests continue in Daraa. More than 30 protesters are killed by security forces.
        March 29, 2011 - President Bashar al-Assad's cabinet resigns.
        March 30, 2011 - Assad delivers a 45-minute speech at the National Assembly. He acknowledges that the government has not met the people's needs but he does not offer any concrete changes.
        April 1, 2011 - Nine people are killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma during protests. Demonstrations are held in other cities including Daraa, Homs and Al Sanameen.
        April 21, 2011 - Assad lifts the country's 48-year-old state of emergency. He also abolishes the Higher State Security Court and issues a decree "regulating the right to peaceful protest, as one of the basic human rights guaranteed by the Syrian Constitution."
        April 25, 2011 - The government sends troops into Daraa to carry out what witnesses describe as a brutal crackdown. Between 4,000 and 5,000 members of the army and security forces raid Daraa and shoot indiscriminately. At least seven people are killed, according to an activist with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
        June 6, 2011 - State TV reports that 120 security forces have been killed, including 82 in the city of Jisr Al-Shugar. The government blames the deaths on "armed gangs" in the city.
        June 20, 2011 - In a speech, Assad says that he will not negotiate with people fighting against Syrian forces. He also offers promises of reform, without any specifics. Human rights activists say that more than 1,100 people have died during months of protests.
        September 2, 2011 - The European Union bans the import of Syrian oil.
        November 12, 2011 - The Arab League suspends Syria's membership.
        For developments in Syria after 2011, see Syria Civil War Fast Facts.

        Tunisia

        January 15, 2011 - Parliamentary speaker Fouad Mebazaa is sworn in as acting president. He asks Ghannouchi to remain as interim prime minister.
        February 27, 2011 - Ghannouchi resigns. Tunisia's interim president selects Al-Baji Qa'ed Al-Sebsi as the new prime minister.
        October 23, 2011 - National elections are held for the first time. Candidates compete for 218 seats in the Constitutional Assembly.

        Yemen

        January 27, 2011 - Protests begin.
        March 18, 2011 - Fifty-two people are killed in a crackdown on protesters.
        April 8, 2011 - Tens of thousands of demonstrators gather in Sanaa and Taiz. Two people are killed and 300 are injured in Taiz when security forces open fire on the crowd with tear gas and live ammunition.
        April 23, 2011 - Saleh tentatively agrees to a deal, arranged by the Gulf Cooperation Council, to leave office within 30 days. He later refuses to sign it.
        May 25, 2011 - Clashes between tribesmen and government forces lead to the closure of the Sanaa International Airport. Tribal forces also take control of government buildings including the Interior Ministry.
        June 3, 2011 - Opposition forces attack the presidential palace, launching projectiles at the building. Saleh is injured and several others are killed.