They began in late December when Sunni demonstrators took to the streets in Anbar province, which borders Jordan and Syria, to protest al-Maliki's order to arrest the bodyguards of Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi, a Sunni.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

They began in late December, when Sunnis took to the streets in Anbar province, which borders Jordan and Syria, to protest Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's order to arrest the bodyguards of Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi, a Sunni.

CNN: 18 killed as car bombs target Shiite worshipers in Iraq

More recently, a few days before the first Iraq Day anniversary, thousands of Sunnis took to the streets in Anbar province, a major trade thoroughfare to Jordan and Syria, to protest al-Maliki's order to arrest the bodyguards of Finance Minister Rafaie Esawi, a Sunni.

CNN: One year later, Iraq war's legacy remains unclear