The Libyan Civil War began as a series of protests and confrontations in the North African state of Libya against the government and its leader, Muammar Gaddafi. The social unrest began on 15 February 2011, and became a civil war which continued until 23 October of that year. The unrest was attributed to uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, connecting it to the wider Arab Spring. According to NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, who reached the city of Tobruk on 22 February, "The protest movement is no longer a protest movement, it's a war. It's open revolt." That day, "The Economist" described the events as an "uprising that is trying to reclaim Libya from the world's longest-ruling autocrat." Gaddafi blamed the uprising on al-Qaeda and "drugged kids".