Surf Arab States

Arab States Weekly Review 5th – 11th Feb 2011

Anti-government protests in Egypt continued with Tahrir Square in Cairo as the symbolic epicentre. Clashes between pro- and anti-Mubarak demonstrators persisted and an explosion on a gasline in the Sinai was attributed to saboteurs exploiting the unrest. President Mubarak refused to relinquish power as his actions of political reform remained cosmetic.

Tunisia’s interim president assumed the power to rule by decree, as the Constitutional Democratic Rally (the former ruling party) was suspended. Its officials are no longer allowed and its offices are to be closed down.

Revelations about torture in prisons in Kuwait led to the resignation of Kuwait’s interior minister. The Kuwaiti emir accepted the resignation amid a growing demand for political reforms in the wake of demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt.