The Arab Spring is a term given to the popular revolutions that broke out in a number of Arab countries to overthrow their rulers. The first spark was launched in Tunisia on December 17, 2010, and prompted its late president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, to flee the country.
Then it reached Egypt after the demonstrators left on January 25, 2011, and ended with the late president Mohamed Hosni Mubarak stepping down. Protests also erupted in Yemen, demanding that its then president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, step down. At the same time, they moved to Libya, and their first spark ignited on February 17, 2011.