John K. Abimanyi
27 December 2011
The year 2011 towered high on the scale of news worthiness. It kept journalists up on their feet, chasing stories from continent to continent in a 12-month period that saw dictators fall, economic hard times get harder, and the grim reaper rob the world of very influential people. Below are 10 of the most significant events that have graced our sights in these 12 months.
Tunisian Revolution
It started with a lowly fruits street vendor in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouazid. Once his attempts at making a living were interrupted by city officers who confiscated his wares, he used some of his remaining cash to purchase petrol and set himself on fire at his regional governor’s office. By January 5 when he died, three weeks later, protests had spread across the country like bush fire, protests against the escalating cost of living, joblessness and government corruption. On January 14, the country’s Prime Minister announced how the 23-year reign of Ben Ali as Tunisian president had finally, drawn to a close. In fact, by the time that announcement aired, the ousted head of state was well on his way to Saudi Arabia, seeking refuge after France, a former ally, had denied him room. As it would turn out, Ben Ali would only be the first in a line of Middle East presidents to fall at the hands of their own people.
Egyptian Revolution
Revolutions can be very contagious business, as the Hosni Mubarak fallen regime in Egypt found out this year. The hot pot boiling over in Tunisia soon spilled its contents into Egypt, on January 25, with protests calling for Mubarak’s resignation. Mr Mubarak had been in power for 30 years. “January 25” became an unconscious title of the revolution, and, the hash tag ‘#Jan25’ became one of the biggest trending topics on social micro blogging site, Twitter.
But the camel’s back of resistance for Mubarak’s regime broke on February 11, when he finally resigned from office. The protests, largely stationed at a square called Tahrir, were noted for the use of internet social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, with even a Google executive taking leave from his job in Dubai to go and help fan the protests through internet activity.
Mr Mubarak was later put on trial and appeared on a hospital bed, caged, before a judge. The Egyptian revolution is in many ways still ongoing, with protests against what is perceived as the country’s military seeking to hijack the people’s revolution.
Libyan war
After Tunisia and Egypt had dethroned their dictators, Libya, geographically sitting right in the middle of the two countries, also sought to achieve a similar feat. But it was never going to be easy.
On February 25, Libyans in the eastern city of Benghazi rose up in protest against the rule of Col Muammar Gadaffi. But they were replied in the currency of tear gas and bullets.
The residents of Benghazi soon cashed in their peaceful protest for aggressive confrontation with the state. They broke into police stations and military barracks. They armed themselves with Kalashnikovs and other artillery. At that moment, the Libyan revolution turned into the Libyan War. With the full force of Col Gaddafi’s army bearing down on rebellious town of Benghazi, Nato, with the backing of UN Resolution 1973, calling for the use of all necessary measures to protect citizens, commenced an air assault on Libya’s army. This assault would then diminish Col Gadaffi’s firepower and help the rebels fire their way into Tripoli. The war climaxed with the capture and assassination of the colonel.
The war has left a social crisis in the country with thousands of armed youths who fought in the war now moving about in the streets with their guns, raising security concerns. Western powers, in particular France and the UK, have been criticised for having waged a campaign of regime change, under the cover of protecting civilians.
Japan Tsunami
Early in the afternoon of April 7, residents of Japan witnessed one of the strongest earthquakes to hit their country.
It caused a series of tsunami waves that poured waves upon waves of sea water inland, killing more than 15,000 people, injuring nearly 6,000, and nearly causing a mini disaster at a nuclear reactor.
It was the first tsunami of which large segments of video had been recorded in real time as the water came in. TV clips showed water waves sweep skyscrapers aside like they were washing away sand-dunes. These recordings, it is hoped, will offer scientists a chance to better understand tsunamis and plan for how to evade them in the future.
Osama bin Laden
He was the world’s most wanted man. He was responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the US, and as a result, the war on terror. But a special team of the US Army found and killed him in a high fenced compound in the Pakistani town of Abottabad, a town that housed the country’s leading military training institute.
This sparked tensions between the US and Pakistan, with suggestions that parts of the Pakistani military had both known and actively helped shield the terrorist.
Norway terrorist attacks
Anders Breivik shocked the world in July when he turned a previously very safe country into a slaughter ground, shooting dead over 80 people and bombing his government’s offices. A right wing fundamentalist, Mr Breivik, wrote of his displeasure with his country’s liberalism, one that had allowed Islamic values to grow. At his trial however, he was declared insane. His trial is still ongoing.
Steve Jobs death
“Do you prefer to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” That was the pitch that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs made to then Pepsi CEO, John Sculley. It seemed, even from as early as 1983 when he said these words, that Steve Jobs knew he was on to something that would indeed change the world. The man who is credited for the iPod, the iPad, the iPhone the iMac and for changing the way man relates with computers and music, died on October 5.
News of the world closure
The News of the World (NoW), was the best selling English newspaper in the world. But it came to an end on July 10. It paid the price of hacking into the phone of a kidnapped girl, and, of partly being a negligible part of the Rupert Murdoch media empire. When revelations were made public by The Guardian newspaper in the UK that the NoW had hired a private investigator and then sanctioned his actions to check into the kidnapped girl’s voicemail, there was public outrage, which, in a bid to save the media empire, saw the Murdoch family choose to shut the paper down.
Laurent Gbagbo
By the beginning of the year, official results from the Ivory Coast general election had been released showing that Allasane Ouattara had won 54 per cent of the vote. But incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, supported by the Supreme Court, denounced those results, and he declared himself winner. What followed was a political standoff, with Western powers choosing to endorse Ouattara, a former IMF official. Gbagbo hung onto the presidency and war broke out again. French forces joined the fray and soon helped oust Gbagbo. He is now at the ICC, waiting to answer to war crime charges.
Ocampo6 hearing
The six people accused of orchestrating post election violence in Kenya in early 2008 were finally announced by the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, and later, appeared before the court. The six include the deputy Prime Minister and son of founding president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and, suspended Cabinet Minister, William Ruto, among others. The results of the proceedings at the court are likely to have a strong impact on the political terrain in Kenya as the two named above are expected to take a shot at the presidency in 2012.
AllAfrica – All the Time