Tunisian man sets himself on fire to protest unemployment - KYTX CBS 19 Tyler Longview News Weather Sports
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By Saad Abedine and Holly Yan
A 27-year-old man protesting unemployment set himself on fire in the Tunisian capital of Tunis, authorities said Tuesday.
The man suffered third-degree burns, Tunisia's national civil protection and civil defense authorities said.
He was taken to the same hospital where Mohamed Bouazizi was taken in December 2010.
Bouazizi, who died after setting himself on fire, was widely credited for spurring Arab Spring uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East.
The 26-year-old street vendor earned about $10 a day selling fruit.
But after a municipal inspector seized his belongings, Bouazizi -- in an act of economic despair -- doused himself with fuel and set himself ablaze in front of a government building.
The fatal protest unleashed a wave of regional dissent against oppression, government corruption and stifled freedoms.
Self-immolation has since become a trend the Arab world, with people setting themselves on fire in Tunisia, Jordan, Bahrain, and Morocco.
