Opponents of Tunisia’s President Kais Saied, who sparked a crisis by suspending parliament and sacking the premier, said Tuesday they were ready for early elections while warning against an “autocratic regime”. The moderate Islamist Ennahdha party, which was the strongest group in the coalition government, has labelled Sunday’s power grab a “coup d’etat” while the […]
Tunisia
Blinken calls Tunisia president, presses on democracy
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday spoke by telephone with Tunisian President Kais Saied to urge respect for democracy after he sacked the government. In his call, the top US diplomat urged Saied to “maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people,” the State Department said in a statement. “He […]
Tunisian president suspends parliament, dismisses PM
Tunisian President Kais Saied announced Sunday the suspension of the country’s parliament and the dismissal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi following a day of protests against the ruling party. Car horns sounded after Saied made the announcement following an emergency meeting at his palace. Earlier, thousands of Tunisians had marched in several cities protesting about […]
Clashes in Tunisia after president ousts PM amid Covid protests
Street clashes erupted on Monday outside Tunisia’s army-barricaded parliament, a day after President Kais Saied ousted the prime minister and suspended the legislature, plunging the young democracy into a constitutional crisis. Saied sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and ordered parliament closed for 30 days, a move the biggest political party Ennahdha decried as a “coup”, following […]
Donations seek to save Tunisia from Covid catastrophe
With Tunisia’s health system close to collapse after being overwhelmed by a surge of Covid-19 cases, other countries and even individuals have stepped in to stem the crisis. European and Gulf nations, Tunisians abroad and ordinary citizens have organised equipment and vaccine donations that are now helping to battle the pandemic. The small North African […]
43 missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia: Red Crescent
At least 43 people were missing off the southeastern coast of Tunisia after a boat carrying more than 120 migrants sank, the Tunisian Red Crescent said on Saturday. “Eighty-four migrants were rescued and 43 others disappeared after a boat carrying 127 migrants sank off the coast of Zarzis” on Friday night, Mongi Slim of the […]
TunisAir first foreign carrier to resume Libya flights
TunisAir announced on Tuesday it has resumed flights to Libya, becoming the first foreign carrier to fly the route for seven years in the wake of UN-sponsored peace efforts. Its planes landed Monday in both the capital Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya’s second city, the company said, adding that the event was celebrated with hoses firing […]
Tunisia recovers 14 migrants’ bodies after dozens drowned off coast
Tunisia’s Coast Guard recovered on Saturday the bodies of 14 African migrants who drowned when their boat carrying more than 80 people sank after setting off for Europe from neighbouring Libya, the Tunisian Red Crescent said. Tunisian fishermen rescued four people but one later died in hospital, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Thursday. […]
Blast from explosive belt kills would-be suicide bomber in Tunisia
Police shot at a man wanted for terrorism during a confrontation late Tuesday in Tunisia’s capital and the suspect was killed when his explosive belt detonated, the Interior Ministry said. Ministry spokesman Sofiène Zaâg told private Radio Mosaique that officers surrounded the man in the suburban Tunis neighborhood of Intilaki and opened fire. He said […]
Tunisia fishermen turn life-savers in the Med
The Tunisian trawler radioed in for help as it passed the migrant boat in distress out at sea. But with the packed craft still adrift two days later, captain Chamseddine Bourassine took direct action. Fishermen from the North African country are spending more and more time pulling in stranded migrants after a sharp decline in […]