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Tunisia: President faces public discontent over economy
Thousands of Tunisians marched Saturday in the capital to protest against President Kais Saied, whom they accuse of seeking to install a new dictatorship amid a worsening economic crisis. Separate rallies by different opposition groups were held in Tunis with a heavy...
Tunisia: Nine women sentenced to prison for plotting to kill government minister
Tunisia has jailed nine members of an all-women "terrorist" gang accused of plotting to assassinate a government minister, media reported Thursday. In the North African nation's first known case of an all-woman jihadist group, two of the ringleaders were jailed for 25...
Podcast: Sahel and North Africa week in review 7 Jan 2023
Greetings to our second episode of Week in Review and a quick summary of what we are tracking in the Sahel and in North Africa. Today is Saturday, the 7th of January 2023. This past week was somewhat subdued in the region largely due to the year-end holiday season and...
Tunisia facing daunting economic outlook, headed to IMF bailout
Tunisia faces a year of low economic growth and runaway inflation, and urgently needs a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund, its central bank chief said Wednesday. "We need to reach a deal with the IMF as soon as possible to mobilise external finance in...
Tunisia lawyers protest tax hike on legal services
Dozens of Tunisian lawyers protested on Thursday against newly imposed taxes on legal services, part of a 2023 budget that seeks to boost revenues to the cash-strapped treasury. Led by Bar Association head Hatem Mziou, lawyers gathered outside the Palais de Justice in...
Tunisia looking to stabilize its economy with new development plan
The Tunisian government on Tuesday presented a three-year development plan that relies heavily on private sector investment, particularly in industry, and boosting phosphate production. The cash-strapped North African country is battling 10 percent inflation alongside...
Tunisia: President on the offensive to eliminate the opposition
The main coalition against Tunisian President Kais Saied said Tuesday his administration was using the judiciary to close down opposition to his rule, after several inquiries were opened against its members. In July last year, Saied sacked the government, froze...
Tunisia: Rough start of the year for commuters in Tunis, as tram and bus workers go on strike
Tram and bus workers in the Tunisian capital staged a strike over delays in salaries and the lack of an end-of-year bonus Monday, creating traffic jams across Tunis. The strike is the latest in a string of similar actions as Tunisia grapples with a grinding economic...
Tunisian president fights back against critics after disastrous election results
Tunisia's President Kais Saied on Wednesday played down massive abstention in this month's parliamentary elections and slammed critics who have accused him of dragging the country towards dictatorship. Just 11.2 percent of registered voters took part in the December...
Tunisian regime seeks to strip judges of immunity before charging them of terrorism
Tunisian prosecutors asked the top judicial body to strip 13 judges of immunity so they can be tried on terror charges, their lawyer said Wednesday, describing the case as "purely political". The move comes nearly seven months after President Kais Saied sacked 57...
Tunisia: While waiting for an international bailout, Tunisia looks to raise taxes to stay afloat
Tunisia's finance minister unveiled a budget Monday aiming to use new tax revenues to claw the deficit back to near five percent of GDP, as the cash-strapped country awaits an international bailout. The 2023 budget comes as the North African country grapples with...
Tunisia electoral board sues media outlets for “attacking dignity of voters”
Tunisian rights groups on Tuesday accused the electoral authority of "threatening" press freedom, after it sued bloggers and media outlets for alleged violations during a poll on a new constitution. Last week, the ISIE elections authority filed 24 legal complaints...
Tunisia deports migrants, rights group calls move “repressive and inhumane”
A Tunisian rights group condemned Sunday a "repressive and inhumane" government decision to deport a group of migrants who had been evacuated from a defunct refugee camp. The 25 men from Egypt, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan had sought asylum in Tunisia after fleeing...
Tunisia’s UGTT labor union urges action to end political stalemate
A powerful Tunisian trade union called Wednesday for a road map to "save" the country from a slide back to autocracy, after voters largely shunned last week's legislative elections. Just 11.2 percent of voters cast ballots Saturday for a new parliament stripped of...
Tunisia: President faces turmoil after election turnout fell below 9%
By Kaouther Larbi and Francoise Kadri: Tunisia plunged into political uncertainty Sunday as its main opposition alliance called on President Kais Saied to "leave immediately", a day after voters overwhelming snubbed elections for a neutered parliament. That comes with...
Tunisian migrants increasingly eyeing Germany as a destination
By Françoise Kadri: Germany is becoming a key destination for disillusioned young Tunisians despite a language barrier and the North African nation's long history of ties with France. Europe's biggest economy, with its low birth rate, is crying out for labour, and...
Tunisia: Harissa chili paste gets UNESCO heritage status
UNESCO on Thursday added Tunisia's spicy national condiment Harissa to its list of intangible cultural heritage, saying it was part of the North African country's identity. The United Nations' cultural agency is meeting in Morocco to examine proposals for its list of...
Podcast: Food shortages and rising cost of commodities in Tunisia: briefly explained
Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk and The North Africa Journal visited Tunisia this November and is bringing better understanding on the challenges facing the Tunisians in their day-to-day living. Listen to the audio podcast version: Download the MP3 file here...
Tunisia: Government accuses opposition party Ennahdha of sending fighters to Iraq and Syria
The speaker of Tunisia's dissolved parliament appeared on Monday before a judge investigating accusations his party helped Tunisian jihadists travel to fight in Iraq and Syria. Rached Ghannouchi, an arch-rival of President Kais Saied and also head of the...
UNESCO set to give Algerian Rai music and Tunisian Harissa heritage status
The French baguette, Algerian Rai music and Tunisia's harissa condiment are among this year's contenders for recognition as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, which started deliberations Monday in Morocco. The United Nations' cultural agency is examining 56...
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