This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Now that ousted Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has fled the country, the question on everyone's mind is: Where is he headed to?
Netizens are putting their money on any one of the Arab Gulf Countries – which comprise of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman.
Angry Arab News, a blog maintained by As'ad Abu Khalil, notes:
Aljazeera is reporting that the plane of Bin Ali is now heading to a “Gulf country.” Let me GUESS: which states habitually provides haven to ousted dictators??
In a follow up post, he adds:
Al-Arabiyya says that Bin Ali plane is going to Qatar, while Aljazeera implies that his plane is going to Dubai
Egyptian columnist Mona Eltahawi tweets:
How many bets #Qatar takes in #BenAli because it was 1 one of 1st to acknowledge toppling and is a pro at playing all sides? #Sidibouzid
Saudi Wafa Aljohani urges Gulf Arabs to stand up:
And Samar Dahmash Jarrah adds:
Egyptian A Naje jokes:
Fellow Egyptian Mohammed Mansour tweets:
He continues:
والله مش بعيد مبارك يعرض على بن على ان يستضيفه فى مصر . اصلهم اخوات فى الديكتاتورية . و شرم الشيخ كبيرة #BenAli #sidibouzid #tunisia #Egypt
Along similar lines, top french blogger and lawyer @MaitreEolas tweets :
France terre d'asile : on a accueilli Khomeiny, Bokassa, Mobutu, Duvallier, on va bien recevoir Ben Ali ?
Dima Khatib confirms that France shut its door to Ben Ali and notes:
Sarkozy probably thought: can't receive this guy (Ben Ali) in France. With so many Tunisians living here I would have my own #SidiBouzid :)
Meanwhile, in Bahrain, the chatter on where Ben Ali is continues.
Ali Fareed responds:
He's heading 2 Dubai
And Abdurahman Warsame, in Qatar, concludes:
news that Ben Ali's airplane landed in #dubai. #tunisia
However, Egypt Tarek Amr has a better solution. He quips:
Doesn't Ben Ali use Dopplr or Foursquare so that we can know where he is heading to? #Tunisia #LBS ##Sidibouzid
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
10 comments
I love the sense of humor of Arab tweeps :)
Ben Ali has gone to Saudi Arabia.
I read the following about Ben ali
The ‘most notorious’ family member of the former dictator of Tunisia, Ben Al, billionaire Belhassen Trabelsi is likely hiding out with his family in Canada, Tunisians in Montreal claim. They are sharply critical of the Stephen Harper government for the lack of cooperation in apprehending the fugitives, claiming that Ottawa has also been slow to move to freeze criminal assets here.
“We expect the government not to let these people flee Canada,’ said Haroun Bouazzi, who’s part of a Montreal based Tunisian solidarity collective. We’re so scared they’ll go somewhere where there’s no chance they’ll be extradicted to Tunisia.” They plan demonstrations at the Canadian Parliament next Wednesday.
The RCMP claimed Wednesday that an international Interpol alert does not constitute an arrest warrant under Canadian law. However, Interpol has already made clear its standard practice is to forward formal extradition requests via diplomatic channels once arrests have been made.
Canada’s Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, hinted Wednesday that Trabelsi has permanent residency status and would not simply be removed “through standard immigration procedures.” I can’t comment on individuals because of the Privacy Act, but I can tell you that some members of that family are in Canada as permanent residents and they have a legal right to be here.”
Tunisia has issued an international arrest warrant for Trabelsi, who is charged with illegally acquiring property and other assets and illegally transferring funds. He’s also charged with illegal arms trafficking, and is described as ‘one of the biggest fish in the Ben Ali pond’.