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Rare unrest in Tunis suburb as police fire tear gas after detainee's death
Clashes broke out in Ettadhamen and in Jebiniana near Sfax on Thursday after two men died following encounters with security forces, days after the biggest protest against President Kais Saied in years.
Key points
- Police fired tear gas in Ettadhamen, a Tunis suburb, after a man held on drug suspicion died.
- Protesters in Jebiniana, Sfax governorate, set a vehicle alight after another man died while being chased.
- Thousands joined the largest protest against Kais Saied in years last Saturday.
Police fired tear gas at protesters in Ettadhamen, a working-class suburb of Tunis, on Thursday after a man detained on suspicion of drug dealing died following his arrest, in rare unrest in the Tunisian capital.
His family says he died from abuse by police after his arrest and wants an investigation. Local media reported that he died after swallowing drugs. Protesters blocked roads, burned tyres and threw stones, and security forces moved in to protect a National Guard station. The authorities have not commented publicly.
On the same day, police clashed with protesters in Jebiniana, in Sfax governorate on the east coast, after another man died. His relatives said he was being chased by security forces at the time. Protesters set a vehicle on fire and burned tyres, and police answered with tear gas.
In the city of Sfax, students rallied over the death of a female student who had a heart condition. They blamed a slow ambulance and poor medical facilities, and called a strike at the faculties of Sfax University for Friday.
The anger comes at a tense moment for President Kais Saied. Last Saturday, thousands of people joined the largest protest against him in years, accusing him of dismantling Tunisia’s democracy and mismanaging the economy. Many Tunisians are frustrated by high living costs and failing public services.
On Wednesday, a military court sentenced opposition politician Olfa Hamdi to four years in prison on charges of plotting against state security and inciting the military to disobey orders.
Saied, who shut down parliament in 2021 and has since ruled largely by decree, rejects accusations that he has become authoritarian and says he is cleansing the state of corruption.