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Tunisian court orders detention of leading Islamist opposition figure Ghannouchi
Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been remanded in custody following his arrest earlier this week, his Ennahdha party said Thursday, denouncing his "unjust imprisonment". Ghannouchi, 81, a former speaker of parliament, was arrested on Monday after...
Fifteen Tunisian migrants missing in Mediterranean
Fifteen Tunisian migrants are missing after their boat sank in the Mediterranean during an attempt to reach Europe, authorities said Wednesday. The boat carrying 19 Tunisians sank Monday night, said a statement by Tunisia's National Guard, which oversees the...
Tunisia: Profile of jailed opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi
Islamist-inspired Ennahdha opposition party arrested on Monday, once towered over Tunisia's politics but many now blame him for the country's ills. The reputation of the 81-year-old veteran politician, once seen as a kingmaker following the 2011 Arab Spring revolt...
Tunisia arrests opposition leader Ghannouchi, shuts offices of Ennahdha party
Tunisian authorities closed the offices of Islamist-inspired opposition party Ennahdha on Tuesday, a day after arresting its leader Rached Ghannouchi, a senior party official said. [Read Ghannouchi's profile here] "A police unit showed up at the party's main...
Migrations: 32 migrants perish off the coast of Tunisia
The death toll after a boat carrying sub-Saharan migrants sank off Tunisia this week rose to 32 on Friday after another eight bodies were recovered, the coastguard said. On Wednesday, the day after the sinking off the Tunisian port of Sfax, the authorities said 10...
Tunisia: Football star Nizar Issaoui sets himself alight to protest police brutality
A professional footballer in Tunisia has died after setting himself alight earlier this week in what he called a protest against the "police state" ruling the country, his brother said Friday. Nizar Issaoui, 35, suffered third-degree burns from his action in the...
Tunisia wants more help from Europe, despite worrying policies of President Saied
Tunisia on Monday called for "constructive discourse" from the European Union after a string of leaders warned the country is facing a crisis that could impact the 27-member bloc. In a statement after meeting EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni in Tunis, Foreign...
Tunisia: Growing concern in Washington over Tunisia’s political and economic struggles
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Wednesday that Tunisia urgently needs to reach a deal with the IMF, adding to dire EU warnings about the country's future. "The most critical thing they can do on the economic side is actually get an IMF agreement," Blinken...
Migrations: Five migrants die off the coast of Tunisia, Algeria disbands smuggling gang
Five migrants from sub-Saharan Africa drowned and another 28 were missing Wednesday after their boat capsized off Tunisia, a rights group said. "Five migrants' bodies were recovered and five other migrants were rescued, but 28 are still missing," said Romdhane Ben...
Tunisia’s interior minister Taoufik Charfeddine resigns
Tunisian interior minister Taoufik Charfeddine, a close aide of President Kais Saied, announced Friday he had resigned to spend more time with his three children following the death of his wife last year. Charfeddine, 54, who had held his post since October 2021, told...
Tunisia: European Parliament lashes out at Tunisian president over his “authoritarian drift”
The European Parliament on Thursday decried Tunisian President Kais Saied's "authoritarian drift" and called for the immediate release of a detained prominent journalist. Saied sacked the government and froze parliament in a 2021 power grab before imposing sweeping...
Tunisia arrests spokesman of moderate Islamist party Ennahdha
Photo: Ennahdha spokesman Abdelfattah Taghouti: The spokesman of Tunisia's Islamist-leaning Ennahdha party has been detained, his party said on Wednesday, denouncing the latest arrest of a prominent critic of President Kais Saied. Abdelfattah Taghouti was detained by...
Tunisia now has a rubber-stamping parliament
Tunisia on Monday inaugurated a new parliament largely stripped of its powers, after a vote that saw a paltry turnout amid boycotts following President Kais Saied's July 2021 power grab. The new assembly, elected in two rounds in December and January that saw a voter...
Tunisia: President dissolves elected municipal councils
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday moved to dissolve the country's elected municipal councils, seen as a key democratic gain after the 2011 revolt that sparked the Arab Spring. Saied sacked the government in a 2021 power grab, and has since scrapped the...
Tunisia: Migrants drown off the coast of Sfax
Fourteen migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have drowned off the coast of the Tunisian city of Sfax, the coastguard said on Thursday. "Coastguard patrols last night intercepted a group whose boat had sunk, rescuing 54 people of various sub-Saharan African...
Tunisia: Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine calls media and politicians “traitors”
Unions and rights groups demanded an apology from Tunisia's interior minister on Wednesday after he lashed out at media and political party "traitors", as authorities face heavy criticism over a crackdown against the opposition. Speaking during a visit to the border...
Tunisia: President’s racist speech sparks violence against migrants
By Evelyne Aka, with Françoise Kadri in Tunis: Almost 300 people returned from Tunisia to Mali and Ivory Coast on Saturday after boarding repatriation flights, fearful of a wave of violence since the president launched a tirade against migrants. Last month President...
Tunisia: World Bank suspends new lending to Tunisia after President Saied issued racist comments
By Paul Raymond: The World Bank has effectively suspended new lending to cash-strapped Tunisia after President Kais Saied sparked accusations of racism with incendiary comments against sub-Saharan African migrants. Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have faced a wave of...
Tunisian regime accuses former head of Truth and Dignity Commission of falsifying report
The head of a panel tasked with uncovering abuses under Tunisia's autocratic past rulers said Tuesday she had been banned from leaving the country as prosecutors investigate her for alleged falsifications in the commission's report. Sihem Bensedrine, head of the...
Tunisia: Protesters demand release of political prisoners
Hundreds of Tunisians rallied Sunday in defiance of a protest ban, demanding the release of more than 20 prominent figures opposed to the president who were arrested in recent weeks. President Kais Saied sacked the government and froze parliament in a 2021 power grab...
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