In the city of Sidi Bouzid, some 10, 000 people also gathered to mourn Mr Belaid.

BBC: Tunisia mourns murdered politician Chokri Belaid

What happened in Sidi Bouzid surprised us, as it surprised the entire world.

CNN: How the web fed our 'dignity revolution'

Residents in Sidi Bouzid told our correspondent that police have been withdrawn from the town after young protesters torched a police station.

BBC: Tunisia: Chokri Belaid's killing prompts strike call

This journey took us to Djelma, Sidi Bouzid, Regueb, Sbeitla and Kasserine.

CNN: How the web fed our 'dignity revolution'

First, there were clashes Saturday and Sunday between the army and a police force loyal to exiled ex-President Ben Ali in Sidi Bouzid.

FORBES: Dust Settles in Tunisia

Protesters also rallied elsewhere Wednesday, including the central town of Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the revolution that toppled former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali two years ago.

CNN: Tunisia gripped by political uncertainty after killing

The army has now been deployed to maintain order in Sidi Bouzid, the town where the revolution that toppled Ben Ali began a little more than two years ago, our reporter says.

BBC: Tunisia: Chokri Belaid's killing prompts strike call

Widespread discontent at economic hardship, decades of autocratic rule and corruption erupted into mass demonstrations in December 2010 after a young, unemployed man, Mohamed Bouazizi, set fire to himself after officials stopped him selling vegetables on the streets of Sidi Bouzid.

BBC: Arab uprising: Country by country - Tunisia