20 Jan 12
Syrian President Bashar Assad blamed the unrest in his country on foreign powers trying to destabilise the country and vowed to crush “terrorists”, whom he blamed for two recent suicide bombings in Damascus.
Over 100 people were killed in a series of bombings across Iraq. Many of the attacks were targeted towards Shia Muslisms. The violence raised the fears of new sectarian strife following the withdrawal of all American troops at the end of last year.
06 Jan 12
A team of observers of the Arab League visited Syria in an effort to persuade President Assad’s regime to withdraw its troops from towns, to free all political prisoners and talk to the opposition. The violence continued.
Egypt’s three-stage general election drew to a close with a final run-off to occur on January 11th. The relatively moderate Muslim Brotherhood is expected to gain most votes, though have indicated to prefer a coalition with secular parties rather than the extreme Salafists.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Jordan and had their first talks for more than a year.
09 Dec 11
The Muslim Brotherhood won a bigger proportion of the vote than expected in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, gaining 46% in a first round. The Salafists, a more extreme group of Islamists, won 21%. The voting is due to end in mid-January.
Kuwait’s emir dissolved parliament amid corruption allegations. Elections will be held within 60 days.
02 Dec 11
Parliamentary elections started in Egypt, the first fully free elections in six decades. Early results indicate that the Muslim Brotherhood and the more extreme Salafists had done well.
Bombings in Baghdad and Basra killed at least 45 people. As the last Americans troops prepare to leave Iraq, such attacks may cast doubt on the Iraqi forces’ ability to maintain security.
Kuwait’s prime minister and his cabinet resigned in Kuwait over allegations of corruption.
Five bloggers in Abu Dhabi received prison sentences of between two and three years for insulting the country’s rulers and sowing dissent, but were promptly granted a presidential pardon.
25 Nov 11
Protests erupted in Egypt calling for the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to step down and hand over rule to civilians. Around 40 people were killed in the protests by security forces. The military council said parliamentary elections would go ahead as planned on November 28th, and that presidential elections would be held by July.
A report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry said the authorities had used ‘excessive force’ in a crackdown earlier this year against mostly Shia pro-democracy protesters.
Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi was caught in southern Libya, as was Muammar Qaddafi’s security chief Abdullah al-Senussi. Both are wanted by the International Criminal Court.
Yemen’s president Ali Abdullah Saleh signed an agreement brokered by the GCC, saying he would stand down and hand power to his vice-president.
21 Nov 11
The Arab League voted to suspend Syria’s membership and apply sanctions, after Presidet Assad failed to implement a plan to end the violence. Turkey joined the call for action and King Abdullah of Jordan said Mr Assad should go.
An Egyptian court ruled that members of former President Mubarak’s National Democratic Party, which was dissolved after the was ousted in February, will be allowed to run in the forthcoming elections. A lower court had banned party members from standing.
21 Nov 11
According to the UN, over 3,500 people have died since March in Syria’s uprising. Despite a proposed peace deal drafted by the Arab League, at least 60 people have been killed in the past week.
08 Nov 11
Syria’s foreign minister met with a delegation of the Arab League in Qatar to discuss an ending of the civil strife which has been ongoing for 8 months.
Palestine was admitted as a full member of UNESCO when the General Assembly voted by 107 votes to 14. The United States and Israel said they would stop their contributions.
Libya’s transitional council voted Abdurrahim al-Keib to be the country’s prime minister. He will head an interim government that is set to rule at least until elections to a constituent assembly next summer.
28 Oct 11
Nahda, the main Islamist party in Tunisia which was banned under the old regime of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, won at least 41% of the seats with at least 25% of the vote in an election for a consituent assembly. Led by Rachid Ghannouchi, Nahda says it is willing to form a ruling coalition with its secular rivals. The new assembly will appoint a government and draft a constitution.
Following the death and capture of Muammar Qaddafi, Libya’s new rulers said a new government would be appointed within a month and elections to an assembly would be held within eight months.
The passing of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz, heir to the Saudi throne and half-brother to King Abdullah, raised questions about the Saudi succession. The next in line to the throne is likely to be Prince Sultan’s brother, Prince Nayef, the interior minister, who is considered a staunch conservative.
Protesters in Homs, Hama and various parts of Damascus held a general strike. Supporters of President Assad rallied in his favour in Damascus. Officials of the Arab League met Mr. Assad in an effort to negotiate an end to the unrest that has rocked Syria since March.
21 Oct 11
Forces from the new ruling authorities in Libya took control of Sirte and reported that Colonel Muammar Qaddafi had been killed.
Dozens of people were killed in Yemen during protests against President Saleh. Though he has promised to step down, he showed no sign of actually doing so.
More than 20 people were killed as protests broke out in the Syrian city of Homs. According to the UN, over 3,000 people have been killed since the Syrian unrests began in March.
Israeli solider Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive for more than five years by Hamas, was freed in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian soliders.