Raenessa

Earlier today we told you that it looked like we were on the verge of a global food crisis

protests have broken out in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria about the rising prices of food staples like milk and sugar

'Bring us sugar!'"

is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost 165,000 square kilometres (64,000 sq mi), with an estimated population of just over 10.4 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the north-east.

The country was governed by the authoritarian regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from 1987 to 2011 before he fled following wide-ranging protests, sometimes nicknamed the Jasmine Revolution after the national flower. Tarek el-Tayyib Mohamed Ben Bouazizi (March 29, 1984 – January 4, 2011; Arabic: محمد البوعزيزي‎), known simply as Mohamed Bouazizi, was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the humiliation that was inflicted on him by a municipal official. This act became the catalyst for the 2010–2011 Tunisian revolution, sparking deadly demonstrations and riots throughout Tunisia in protest of social and political issues in the country. Anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on January 14, 2011, after 23 years in power. Tunisia, an export-oriented country in the process of liberalizing and privatizing an economy that has averaged 5% GDP growth since the early 1990s, had suffered corruption benefiting the former president's family.[7]

Tunisia is a constitutional republic, with a president serving as chief of state, prime minister as head of government, a bicameral legislature and a court system influenced by French civil law

When protests began in Tunisia on December 17, President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali rapidly put a near-complete media blackout in place.

This hasn't stopped people from getting the word out from the ground using videos of the marches taken on mobile phones and minute-by-minute messages on Twitter and Facebook.

Twitter taught me everything about the momentous events in Tunisia: the uprising has been hashtagged,"

The Tunisian Revolution[3][4] is an intensive campaign of civil resistance, including a series of street demonstrations

The demonstrations were precipitated by high unemployment, food inflation, corruption,[5] a lack of freedom of speech and other political freedom[6] and poor living conditions.

The protests constituted the most dramatic wave of social and political unrest in Tunisia in three decades[7][8] and have resulted in scores of deaths and injuries, most of which were the result of action by police and security forces against demonstrators

Until January 2011 Tunisia was known mostly as the most European country of North Africa, with a relatively large middle class, liberal social norms, broad gender equality and welcoming Mediterranean beaches. But now it has taken center stage as the launching pad of a wave of revolt that has swept through the Arab world and beyond.

a sudden and explosive wave of street protests ousted the authoritarian president

The prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, created a government of unity, bringing in members of the official opposition, to serve as an interim government until elections could be held in mid-year. But turmoil continued, with new rounds of protests, streams of refugees leaving Tunisia for Europe or entering from Libya.