SIX protesters who set themselves alight in recent days have raised fears among North Africa's autocratic rulers of a wave of Tunisian-style uprisings.
An Egyptian man set fire to himself outside the parliament building in Cairo on Monday, while four similar acts were reported in Algeria. Another man from a wealthy family in Mauritania set himself alight in his car to protest about the abuse of his tribe. On Friday, tens of thousands of protesters in Tunisia clashed with riot police, forcing Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, the president, to flee to Saudi Arabia.
Other North African leaders fear that the success of the uprising - which brought to an end Ben Ali's 23-year rule - will inspire others and trigger a wave of rebellion. Algeria has already been rocked in recent weeks by riots.
The Egyptian man, protesting against the price of bread, survived after police extinguished the flames.
But the Tunisian protester who prompted the initial revolt died.
More worrying for the region's autocrats was the celebration expressed by the Arab press at the Tunisian revolt. The coverage reflected the frustration of hundreds of millions of people living in virtual police states with limited freedom, whose repressive governments are often supported by the West, terrified that Islamic extremists might seize power.
One of the first North African leaders to speak out was Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.
He said that he regretted the overthrow of Ben Ali, arguing that "Tunisia is becoming prey to hooded gangs, to thefts and fire".
In a radio speech, he told Tunisians: "You have suffered a great loss. There is none better than Zine."
The wave of copycat self-immolations, however, has highlighted the anger simmering within nations that have to cope with limited democratic rights, stagnating economies and oppressive police forces.
Rami Khouri, a Lebanese political commentator, said in a recent article that "Ben Ali's fleeing the country may prove to be the historic turning point that many in the Arab world have been anticipating: the point at which disgruntled Arab citizens shed their fear and confront their leaders with demands for serious changes in how their countries are governed".
Already, protests have spread. Soon after the Tunis uprising, 1000 Yemeni students marched to the Tunisian embassy in Sanaa and called on people across the Arab world to start a "revolution against their scared and deceitful leaders".
One protester carried a banner reading "Leave before you are toppled" - an apparent threat against President Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for decades.
Even in Jordan, a haven of stability for decades, the Islamic Action Front urged reforms. "Tyranny is the mother of all evil in the Arab world," it said. "This explains the state of retardation in the Arab world, despite all elements of success and progress."
Arab leaders shaken by demands for reform
SIX protesters who set themselves alight in recent days have raised fears among North Africa's autocratic rulers of a wave of Tunisian-style uprisings.
An Egyptian man set fire to himself outside the parliament building in Cairo on Monday, while four similar acts were reported in Algeria. Another man from a wealthy family in Mauritania set himself alight in his car to protest about the abuse of his tribe. On Friday, tens of thousands of protesters in Tunisia clashed with riot police, forcing Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, the president, to flee to Saudi Arabia.
Other North African leaders fear that the success of the uprising - which brought to an end Ben Ali's 23-year rule - will inspire others and trigger a wave of rebellion. Algeria has already been rocked in recent weeks by riots.
The Egyptian man, protesting against the price of bread, survived after police extinguished the flames.
But the Tunisian protester who prompted the initial revolt died.
More worrying for the region's autocrats was the celebration expressed by the Arab press at the Tunisian revolt. The coverage reflected the frustration of hundreds of millions of people living in virtual police states with limited freedom, whose repressive governments are often supported by the West, terrified that Islamic extremists might seize power.
One of the first North African leaders to speak out was Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.
He said that he regretted the overthrow of Ben Ali, arguing that "Tunisia is becoming prey to hooded gangs, to thefts and fire".
In a radio speech, he told Tunisians: "You have suffered a great loss. There is none better than Zine."
The wave of copycat self-immolations, however, has highlighted the anger simmering within nations that have to cope with limited democratic rights, stagnating economies and oppressive police forces.
Rami Khouri, a Lebanese political commentator, said in a recent article that "Ben Ali's fleeing the country may prove to be the historic turning point that many in the Arab world have been anticipating: the point at which disgruntled Arab citizens shed their fear and confront their leaders with demands for serious changes in how their countries are governed".
Already, protests have spread. Soon after the Tunis uprising, 1000 Yemeni students marched to the Tunisian embassy in Sanaa and called on people across the Arab world to start a "revolution against their scared and deceitful leaders".
One protester carried a banner reading "Leave before you are toppled" - an apparent threat against President Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for decades.
Even in Jordan, a haven of stability for decades, the Islamic Action Front urged reforms. "Tyranny is the mother of all evil in the Arab world," it said. "This explains the state of retardation in the Arab world, despite all elements of success and progress."
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