TUNISIAN PROTESTS CONTINUE

Tunisians continued to protest against the government on January 10, but there was no sign of the deadly violence between demonstrators and police that at the weekend led to the deaths of at least 14 civilians

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August 17, 2022

Tunisians continued to protest against the government on January 10, but there was no sign of the deadly violence between demonstrators and police that at the weekend led to the deaths of at least 14 civilians. The killings marked the deadliest in a wave of unrest, which has lasted nearly a month. Those taking part say they are angry at the lack of jobs for young people and what they perceive as a heavy-handed reaction by authorities in controlling the protests.

Officials say the unrest is the work of a minority of violent extremists in a country where President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali’s Rally for Constitution and Democracy (RCD) largely dominates the political landscape. They also defended the police saying these only fired in self-defence when violent crowds attacked, ignoring warning shots.

In Rgeb, a central town that has seen some of the worst disturbances, protests were off to a quick start on January 10: Funeral processions for the victims of the clashes turned into noisy protest, witnesses said. In some areas of Rgeb, anti-riot police clashed with civilians on Monday although there were no immediate reports of casualties. In the usually-quieter capital Tunis, students staged another march to denounce the police violence while shops in downtown Tunis were open for business and the security deployment there was barely visible. In the more agitated provincial towns of Thala, Gassrine, Seliana, Rgeb and Meknassi army trucks were sent in to re-enforce police, residents said.