TUNIS, October 23 (Aalimi Nation) – Police in Tunisia fired tear gas at protesters in a suburb of the capital and clashed with demonstrators in towns in the southern Sfax governorate on Thursday, after a series of deaths that have fuelled anger over policing and public services.
In Ettadhamen, a suburb of Tunis, police used tear gas to disperse protesters after a man held on suspicion of drug dealing died. The man's family said he died as a result of police violence after his arrest and called for the circumstances to be clarified and those responsible held accountable. Local media, however, reported that he died after swallowing drugs. The two accounts have not been reconciled, and the interior ministry was not immediately available for comment, according to reports.
Protesters blocked roads, burned tyres and threw stones at police, and security forces sought to secure a National Guard station in the area.
In Jebeniana, in the Sfax governorate, police clashed with protesters after a man died. His relatives said he died during a chase by security forces. Protesters set a vehicle on fire and burned tyres, and police responded with tear gas. Similar clashes were reported in nearby Agareb.
In the coastal city of Sfax, students protested the death of a female student who had a cardiac problem. Her colleagues said ambulance personnel took too long to arrive, citing a lack of medical facilities. They called for a strike at the city's university faculties on Friday.
No casualty figures from the clashes and no official statements on the deaths were available in the reports reviewed.
The unrest comes amid a deepening economic, social and political crisis. Anger has been growing over living conditions and poor public services, and there are fears of a wider wave of protests, reports said.
On Saturday, October 17, thousands of people marched in Tunis in what was described as the largest protest against President Kais Saied in years. The demonstrators, led by the UGTT labour union, accused him of undermining democracy and mishandling the economy, and denounced restrictions on freedoms.
On Wednesday, a Tunisian 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. Reports described it as the latest move against Saied's opponents.
Several key points are unverified. The cause of the death in Ettadhamen is disputed between the family and local media. The circumstances of the deaths in Jebeniana and of the student in Sfax rest on accounts from relatives and fellow students rather than on any official finding. There has been no independent confirmation of how many people were hurt or detained.
Whether the strike called in Sfax goes ahead on Friday, and whether the protests spread to other towns, will show how far the anger extends. Authorities have not announced investigations in the reports available.
