Syria’s government agreed to accept the peace plan put forward by Kofi Annan, the envoy for the UN and the Arab League, his spokesman said. The Syrian opposition also appeared to accept the plan.
Around 30 separate bombs were set off across Iraq on a single day, leaving over 50 people dead. The attack was described by some as an attempt to block the holding of an Arab League summit in Baghdad on March 29th.
Three bombs struck security targets in Damascus and Aleppo (Syria), killing 30 people.
Hana Shalabi, a Palestinian activist detained without charge by Israel, was said by a medical rights group to be facing “immediate risk of death” after more than 30 days of hunger strike.
Israeli and Palestinian factions in Gaza agreed to a truce brokered by Egypt, after a four-day burst of fighting which left at least 25 Gazans dead. The violence was the worst in over two years, sparked by an Israeli air strike against a Palestinian guerilla leader.
Syrian government troops regained control of the northern city Idlib, which was previously in rebel hands. The UN raised its estimate of those killed in the unrests to 8,000.
Hamas, the Palestinian group which governs the Gaza Strip, suggested it would not support Iran in a conflict with Israel.
Syria’s deputy oil minister resigned and joined the side of the rebel opposition. Abdo Hussameldin is the most senior figure to leave Bashar Assad’s regime. More than 8,000 people have died in the violence since the uprising began.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda in Yemen have killed more than 100 people in clashes in southern Yemen.
Following public pressure, Egypt brought forward presidential elections to May 23rd and 24th. Run-offs are scheduled for mid-June, with final results expected to be known June 21st.
Egypt lifted a travel ban on pro-democracy activists, including 16 Americans, who stood accused of receiving illegal funding from foreign governments. The case severely strained relations between Egypt and the United States.
The Syrian army launched a ground assault on the Baba Amr district in Homs, one of the rebel strongholds. Meanwhile, Syrians voted in a referendum on a new consitution proposed by President Assad. Widely dismissed by opposition, mostly supporters of the regime turned up to vote.
Syrian forces intensified their bombardment on the city of Homs, a rebel stronghold. A well-known western war journalist and a photojournalist were among the score of people killed in just one attack. Speculation was rife that the forces intentionally targeted the media centre which housed the journalists.
A wave of bombings in Iraq killed scores of people. Shia neighbourhoods in Baghdad and other cities were the primary targets.
Voters in Yemen were asked to rubber-stamp the promotion of Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the vice-president, to the presidency. He was the only candidate in the presidential vote.
Syrian troops continued to shell the city Homs. Human rights movements estimate that over 7,000 people have died in the violence which started in the spring of 2011.
China and Russia blocked an Arab League-backed UN Security Council resolution that called for President Bashar Assad of Syria to cede power. Government forces carried out the worst assault on protesters yet in Homs. In reponse America and several European countries withdrew their ambassadors from Syria.
Over 40 charity workers, including 19 Americans, would be put on trial in Egypt for illegally receiving foreign funds. Critics condemned the move as an attempt by the ruling military council to clamp down on foreign support for pro-democracy groups. Cairo continued to be the scene of battles between police and protesters following the deaths of 74 people at a football match in Port Said.
74 people were killed in clashes between spectators from rival teams at a football match in the Egyptian city of Port Said. The police came under sharp criticism for failing to stop the trouble. The Egyptian cabinet called an emergency meeting.
The Arab League suspended an observer mission to Syria that was meant to aid a peaceful end to an increasingly-violent conflict between the government and protesters.
Iraq’s main Sunni party returned to parliament and will resume talks with Shia leaders, following a protest over an arrest warrant for the country’s Sunni vice-president.
Bedouin tribesmen in Egypt’s Sinai region released 25 Chinese workers they had kidnapped.
Yemen’s embattled president Ali Abdullah Saleh went into temporary exile under a deal with the opposition that will see power being transferred to a new government.
Egypt celebrated its first anniversary of the protests which led to Hosni Mubarak’s departure from power. In the country’s first free parliamentary elections, the Muslim Brotherhood and their hardline Salafi rivals won a joint 70% of the seats.