Some of Ben Ali’s family were to receive condolences on Sunday in an upmarket suburb of Tunis, according to a small notice published in Tunisia’s La Presse newspaper. The Saudi media and authorities have not made any comment about his death. Ben Ali, the first leader to be toppled by the Arab Spring revolts, died aged 83. He ruled his North African country from 1987 until 2011 and was viewed by some as a bulwark against extremism, but he faced criticism for muzzling the opposition and his reluctance to embrace democracy. Eventually, growing frustration over unemployment and high prices snapped.
In late 2010, a young trader in Sidi Bouzid, in the impoverished centre of the country, set fire to himself in protest at humiliation by police. That sparked protests which rocked Tunisia and triggered a deadly clampdown. But the protesters won: on January 14, 2011 Ben Ali fled Tunisia for Saudi Arabia where he stayed until his death. His rapid departure sparked a string of similar uprisings across the region, toppling Egyptian and Libyan strongmen Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi. — AFP
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