Francesca Ebel
A man rides his motorcycle in front of garbage in Kasserine, Tunisia, on Friday Dec. 11, 2020. Hundreds of desperate Tunisians have set themselves on fire in the past 10 years to protest police harassment, poverty or the lack of opportunity in the country. (AP Photo/Riadh Dridi) December 17, 2020 - 10:22 AM
KASSERINE, Tunisia - In his old life, Hosni Kalaia remembers strolling the streets of his hometown of Kasserine in central Tunisia with confidence. He flashed his heavy gold bracelets and rings, and puffed out his chest, broad and sculptured from regular workouts.
Today, Kalaia hides his face from the world behind dark sunglasses and beneath a woolen hat. On his left hand, three blackened, gnarled fingers protrude from one glove; on his right, he has none at all.