A young Algerian man, working as a delivery driver, engaged in an extreme act of self-immolation in Oran, northwest Algeria, on Monday after police seized his bike over a traffic violation.
Videos of the tragic event reminiscent of Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation, which sparked the Arab Spring, circulated on social media, garnering widespread support for the young man who died of his injuries.
Local media reported authorities confiscated the man’s bike which he used for his work as a delivery man. In an apparent display of despair and anger, he doused his body in gasoline and set himself on fire.
As the flames engulfed the man, security forces and citizens desperately attempted to extinguish the fire.
The event sparked heated discussions on social media among Algerians, with many expressing outrage over the circumstances that drove the young man to such an act.
They called for economic and social reforms to alleviate the pressures on the country’s youth.