17 Sep 11
A mob of Egyptians smashed through security barriers and broke into the building that houses the Israeli embassy in Cairo. Some 80 diplomats and their families left the country as Egyptian commandos dispersed the assailants.
In an attempt to fend off calls for more freedom, Algeria’s president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced plans to allow independent radio and television stations for the first time since independence in 1962.
A UN panel warned that Yemen is close to a civil war. Its president Ali Abdullah Saleh is still recovering in Saudi Arabia from an attack in his palace three months ago. Saleh instructed his vice-president to arrange for power to be handed over to a new government.
11 Sep 11
Rebels in Libya were in control of almost the entire country leaving just a few towns in the grip of Colonel Qaddafi’s supporters, including his hometown Sirte. The National Transitional Council tried to negotiate a peaceful surrender with Qaddafi’s loyalists. A convoy of Qaddafi’s men laden with arms and gold crossed the border into Niger.
Syrian forces renewed their assault on Homs. At least 14 people were killed in the latest crackdown. Alain Juppe, foreign minister of France, accused the Syrian government of crimes against humanity.
02 Sep 11
Rebels in Libya tightened their grip on Tripoli, as Colonel Qaddafi’s close family fled to neighbouring Algeria. Loyalists in Sirte, the last stronghold of Qaddafi, were given an ultimatum to surrender by September 3rd or face an all-out assault.
A string of bombs likely to be planted by Al-Qaeda went off all over Iraq. A suicide bomber killed at least 30 people in Baghdad, including a prominent parliamentarian.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a military academy in Algeria that killed 18 people.
27 Aug 11
Rebels in Libya overran Tripoli and occupied Colonel Qaddafi’s compound. Qaddafi was absent and is rumoured to have fled the country. Heavy fighting continued in the city with the rebels largely in control of the country.
American, Britain and other European countries called for the departure of Syrian president Bashar Assad, after his continuing violent suppression of protests.
Egypt and Israel came close to a falling out over a shooting at the Sinai border involving Palestinian extremists, but appeared to have stepped back from a diplomatic imbroglio.
21 Aug 11
Libyan rebels made further advances, taking control of the main roads leading from Tunisia and Algeria to Tripoli, thereby cutting off Muammar Qaddafi’s supply lines.
Several dozen bomb attacks across Iraq on one day killed at least 89 people and unnerved the government ahead of the withdrawal of American troops later this year.
13 Aug 11
International pressure mounted on Syria, where the regime’s security forces moved the focus of their ongoing crackdown from Hama to Deir ez-Zor, a city farther east. Human rights activists say at least 1,800 civilians have been killed in Syria.
Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, injured during an attack two months ago, left a hospital in Saudi Arabia but remained in Riyadh. He suffered severe burns when his compound in Sana’a was shelled in June.
The leader of Libya’s rebel movement, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, dismissed his cabinet following the killing of his military chief by a faction from his own side. Rebel troops captured the town of Bir Al-Ghanam, 80km south of Tripoli.
07 Aug 11
The trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak started in Cairo. He is charged with corruption and the killing of protesters, but pleaded not guilty. Mr. Mubarak’s sons, Alaa and Gamal, a former interior minister and six officials of the former regime are all on trial at the same time.
Government forces in Syria were reported to have killed at least 100 people since July 31st, mostly in the town of Hama.
Tens of thousands of Islamists, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists inspired by the puritanical zealotry of early Islam, filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square to call for a state governed by Islamic law.
General Abdel Fatah Younis, a former interior minister in Colonel Qaddafi’s regime who had defected and was commanding Libya’s rebel forces, was assassinated in murky circumstances near Benghazi.
01 Aug 11
Vigilantes loyal to Egypt’s military leaders attacked pro-democracy demonstrators in Cairo, injuring several hundred. The protesters are discontent with the pace of reform and called for the trial of senior figures. A cabinet committee said that both demands would be met.
25 Jul 11
Egypt’s military council announced a cabinet reshuffle in response to public protests. Over half of the cabinet ministers were replaced.
Libyan fighters, backed by NATO airstrikes, came close to seizing control of the eastern oil hub of Brega. Opposition leaders were buoyed by their recognition as Libya’s legitimate authority by the United States and others.
15 Jul 11
Mobs attacked the French and American embassies in Damascus, Syria. The attacks were a response to a visit to Hama by the French and American ambassador to protest against the ongoing government crackdown.
Thousands of Egyptians marched in central Cairo to demonstrate against the slow pace of reform and to demand the removal of the ruling military council. Meanwhile, 700 police officers involved in the killing of protesters during the revolution were sacked.
South Sudan celebrated its independence from Sudan on July 9th. The United Nations admitted the country as its 193rd member.