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Brief: Tunisia: The Lazy Governors
Funny news this week from Tunisia where the Presidency of the Republic announced the dismissal of two governors. They are Mondher Sik-Ali of Monastir, on the central coast of the country and Abdelfattah Chakchouk of neighboring Mahdia. The decision to oust the two...
Tunisia’s Slide Toward Autocracy: The Erosion of Democratic Institutions
By Arezki Daoud | Photo: Abir Moussi: Tunisia has been experiencing a fast moving drift towards autocracy, marked by the manipulation of judicial processes, crackdowns on political dissent, and the stifling of civil liberties. This alarming trajectory is exemplified...
22 Islamist militant suspects arrested in Tunisia ($)
Tunisia: Journalist Zied El-Heni released from jail, gets six-month suspended sentence
Tunisian journalist El-Heni was released from prison on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, but he was given a six-month suspended sentence. He was arrested on 1 January, pending his trial, after he was accused by prosecutors of infringing on the person of Commerce Minister,...
Tunisia: Phosphate company signals recovery after a three-year decline (S)
Tunisia neutralizes human smugglers
The Tunisian police reported on January 7, 2024 the dismantling of an alleged human trafficking network in the Sfax region. Authorities say the gang facilitated the illegal movement in and out of the Tunisian territory of sub-Saharan migrants. The operation consisted...
Drought is pushing North African economies to the brink and to social unrest
Drought is wreaking havoc on North Africa’s water supply and on its agriculture. All countries in the region are facing a dangerous water outlook. For example, cash-strapped Tunisia is expected to import almost all its cereal needs. During his visit to Tunis at the...
Tunisia: Three workers assigned to historic World Heritage wall in Kairouan killed after wall collapsed
A section of the historic walls around the Old City of Kairouan collapsed on Saturday, killing three masons carrying out repairs on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tunisian authorities said. Two workers were also injured in the accident, which saw a 30 metre (100...
North Africa’s use of drones in the agricultural sector
By Aymen Jamli: A drone buzzed back and forth above rows of verdant orange trees planted near Nabeul, eastern Tunisia. The black unmanned aircraft, equipped with a multi-lens camera and sensors, has been enlisted by Tunisian farmers to help adapt to years of drought...
Tunisia: Prison escape rattles President Saied
Tunisia's president said Wednesday that the escape of five prisoners convicted of "terrorism" was a well-planned operation that had clearly been in the pipeline for "months". The government has urged Tunisians to be vigilant following the escape of the five from...
Anger in the Arab world over strike on a Gaza hospital
In Libya: Several hundred people protested in Tripoli and other Libyan cities late Tuesday over the deadly strike on a Gaza hospital, according to AFP journalists. In Tripoli, hundreds of demonstrators of all ages, brandishing Palestinian flags and some covering...
Tunisia’s economy minister sacked amid unprecedented financial crisis
Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked the economy minister on Tuesday and appointed the finance minister to the role on an interim basis, the presidency announced without giving any explanation. In a brief statement published on its official website, the presidency...
Tunisia: Strike on Gaza hospital ignites protest in Tunis
Thousands of angry protesters gathered outside the French embassy in Tunisia on Tuesday, also denouncing the US, after a strike on a Gaza Strip hospital killed at least 200 people. The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said at least 200 people died in the strike,...
Tunisia: Rally in Tunis to free jailed opposition leader Abir Moussi
Hundreds of supporters of Abir Moussi, a prominent opponent of the Tunisian president, gathered on Sunday in the capital to protest her detention, AFP journalists said. Moussi, who has on multiple occasions accused Saied of carrying out "a coup", was arrested on...
Tunisia: Eight migrants killed in Kairouan road accident
A road accident overnight in central Tunisia killed nine people including eight sub-Saharan African migrants, authorities said on Monday. It happened when the truck they were in overturned on a road between Nasrallah and Manzel Mhiri in the Kairouan region, a civil...
Tunisia suffers hours-long power outage
A sudden power outage hit Tunisia Wednesday, causing a nationwide blackout for about three hours due to technical problems, the electricity and gas company STEG said. The outage came about 1:00 am (0000 GMT) "due to a sudden breakdown" in the Rades power plant in the...
Tunisia’s foreign migrant problem
Thousands of migrants are living without proper shelter north of Tunisia's port city of Sfax after many were driven out of the city by security forces, according to aid workers. Sfax has become a major hub for migrants from Tunisia and other parts of Africa attempting...
Tunisian island of Djerba gets added to UNESCO World Heritage list
UNESCO announced Monday it was adding the Tunisian resort island of Djerba to its list of World Heritage Sites because of its ancient ruins, whitewashed villages, mosques, churches and synagogues. The United Nations cultural organisation took the decision in Saudi...
Tunisia: President continues to weaken Islamist party Ennahdha with more arrests
Two leaders of Tunisia's Islamist-inspired opposition party Ennahdha have been arrested, the party said Wednesday, in the latest move against it by President Kais Saied's government. Ennahda was the largest party in parliament until Saied dissolved the legislature in...
Tunisia arrests ‘pirates’ after migrants robbed at sea
Tunisian police arrested four men, including a fisherman, on suspicion of maritime piracy after the robbery of a boat taking Tunisian migrants to Italy, an official said on Thursday. Police intervened and arrested the four Tunisians on Saturday after one of the...
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