Tunis, Jan 23, (dpa/GNA) – A Tunisian man on Sunday, died after setting himself on fire, local residents and media said, an act that echoed the 2010 self-immolation that triggered a revolt in the North African country.
In December 2010, street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi, set himself ablaze to protest police abuse.
Bouazizi’s self-immolation sparked an anti-government uprising across Tunisia, which became a catalyst for the Arab Spring revolts across North Africa and the Middle East.
A video posted online purportedly showed a man, setting himself on fire Saturday night in front of a government office in the province of Nabeul in north-eastern Tunisia.
The man later died in hospital, radio station Mosaique FM reported, citing an unnamed official in the province.
The cause of his suicide is not clear yet. But the father of three had family struggles and economic hardships, according to the broadcaster.
He had also problems at his workplace, and his act was meant as a protest, residents said.
So far, there has been no official comment.
The suicide was the latest in a string of reported incidents by desperate Tunisians, setting themselves on fire in front of state institutions amid economic woes in the country.
Once considered the sole democratic success story of the Arab Spring, Tunisia has been roiled by political upheaval for months.
GNA