Tunisia Protests

Summary: The 1/28 cabinet reshuffling by the Interim Government that winnowed the RCD from its ranks, save for three, has greatly helped the government and Tunisia’s stability; as has its removal of RCD governors and top former members of the state’s security services. Protests are increasingly located in Tunisia’s provincial interior and though for awhile gangs were running amok (thought to be incited by RCD loyalists), the return of police to active service has greatly facilitated public safety. The fall of the Ali regime has emboldened workers across Tunisia to take advantage of the situation to strike for better pay and conditions and this will likely continue as Tunisian society adjusts to the post-Ali environment.

The military seems committed to having elections later this year and the government seems intent on dismantling the RCD and responding to the people’s requests and needs. UGTT (the main trade union) and Nadha (the main Islamic party) are the two largest most credible factions in the country after the army (which is small but credible) and all seem dedicated to having free open elections and maintaining stability until then. While the UGTT has been a player in calling strikes and supporting the overthrow of Ali and the removal of RCD ministers and governors it does not seem to be the main force behind the protests that have been occurring recently, nor is Nadha.

The situation while not perfectly calm has been getting better each day – especially on the coast. The interior, long neglected and less prosperous, has been more restive and resistant to any government with any trace of former RCD membership and has been pushing for the governors of Tunisia to be totally RCD free. While protests may be lingering in the interior, the military has indicated its firm support for the current government and coastal Tunisia hasn’t seen a formal protest since the reshuffle.

The last Tunis protest with widespread support was before the Interim Government announced its cabinet reshuffling. Since then, in Tunis, there was a rush on the Social Ministry, which seems like it was more of a rush for aid then an organized protest and also the aforementioned roaming gangs (which many are blaming on RCD loyalists). I have yet to see these numbers cited as being larger than 2,000 (which may or may not be accurate, I think it was the number given by the Interior Minister and then repeated by the media) armed with bats and knives who were driven off without casualties by shopkeepers, armed with the same thing, in Tunis. Since the police ended their strike on 2/2/11 there hasn’t been a mention of them attacking or organizing again in Tunis. The remaining protests are in the interior - Sidi Bouzid has been repeatedly mentioned as has Kef and Kebili. These protests are typically described as being in the hundreds to several hundred or as a 1,000. Their complaints have been about remaining RCD members in government, at this point governors, which should be further alleviated by the UGTT’s talks with the Interim government to remove former RCD members from those positions.

When: 1/24/11

Where: Tunis

What: Popular protest at Justice Ministry

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Say their relatives were wrongly accused under ousted President Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali, simply because they were Muslims who grew beards or attended daily prayers. Crowd throngs the steps of the Justice Ministry demanding Tunisia's new amnesty include the release of 1,500 people jailed under anti-terrorism laws

Regime Reaction: None in article, will post if demands are met or government comments.

When: 1/24/11

Where: Tunis (General Amarr spoke outside the Defense Ministry, protestors set up camp between Prime Minster’s office and Finance Ministry)

What: A crowd of several hundred protestors

Creditability:

Complaints/ Demands: Demand the dissolution of the interim government because it is dominated by former members of Mr. Ben Ali’s ruling party. Protesters were calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, chanting, “Ghannouchi, wait, wait, we will dig you a grave.”

Regime Reaction: General Amarr said to them, by bullhorn, according to Agence France-Presse. “There are forces that are calling for a void, a power vacuum. The void brings terror, which brings dictatorship.” He pledged to guarantee the success of the revolution and to respect the Constitution, and he urged the crowd to give the government time to hold free elections within six months, several witnesses said. A.F.P. reported that he asked the protesters to let “this government or another one” work.

When: 1/24/11

Where: Tunisia

What: 24-hour protests

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Protesters complain that too many of its ministers, not least Prime Minister Mohamed Ghanouchi, are former members of Ben Ali's RCD party - demand that the interim government step aside.

Regime Reaction: Tunisia's government agreed on Monday to offer 500 million dinars ($354 million) in compensation to the families of those killed in the month-long uprising,

the regional development minister Nejib Chebbi said. The government would also replace some of the provincial governors, he said, after protesters from the deprived interior of Tunisia complained of widespread corruption and repression. Negotiations were under way on Monday to create a council comprised of unionists, lawyers, opposition parties and civil society movements that would supervise the interim government.

When: 1/25/11

Where: Tunis – outside Prime Minister’s office

What: Hundreds of protesters

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Want Cabinet members linked to deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to leave the government.

Regime Reaction: Comes a day after police fired tear gas to break up similar anti-government demonstrations at the site. Tunisian officials said they are negotiating the formation of a supervisory council to oversee the country's interim government in an effort to appease the protesters.

When: 1/25/11

Where: Gefsa / Tunis (scuffles)

What: In Gefsa, hundreds of demonstrators and a young man set himself on fire. In Tunis, scuffles between opponents of the interim government and others who felt it was time to end the protests and return to work.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: The young man lit himself on fire to demand better economic opportunities.

Regime Reaction: Tunisian soldiers fired in the air on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in the central city of Gefsa. It appeared to be the first time the Tunisian army had intervened in the demonstrations since the ousting of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Jan 14, and comes a day after an influential general said the army was ready to protect the revolution.

In Tunis, the army intervened to stop the scuffles.

When: 1/26/11

Where: Tunis (main ministerial quarter)

What: Protesters tried to force a police barrier.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Demand the government to resign because of the presence of old regime figures in the new cabinet line-up.

Regime Reaction: Riot police on Wednesday fired tear gas at an anti-government rally.

When: 1/26/11

Where: Tunis

What: Protesters continued their call to rid the government of cabinet members connected to Mr. Ben Ali in Tunis; counter marches held arguing to give interim government time to hold elections.

Creditability: Anti-government crowd vastly outnumbered the give-it-some-time crowd (1,000 vs tens).

Complaints/Demands: Tunis – ouster of interim government with its heavy RCD membership.

Regime Reaction: The interim government in Tunisia has issued an international arrest warrant for the overthrown president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, and members of his family for financial offenses, the justice minister said Wednesday.

When: 1/27/11

Where: Tunis, Sidi Bouzid

What: Protest the interim regime. UGTT – Tunisia’s main trade union mentioned

Creditability: UGTT is credible, their support helped bring down Ben Ali government. Able to call strikes across the country that can involve thousands of its members. Is in consultation with the government about reforming the current interim government.

Complaints/Demands: Call for old regime politicians to be ousted after the fall of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Regime Reaction: Tunisia's government has moved quickly to grant unprecedented democratic freedoms, including lifting strict controls on the media, releasing political prisoners and legalizing previously banned political parties. Says it plans for government change soon.

When: 1/28/11

Where:

What: Not a protest but the government response they’ve been calling for.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction: Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, who retained his job, said 12 ministers would be replaced, purging the interim government of members of the former ruling party including the interior, defense and foreign ministers.

The powerful UGTT labour union, which has a large membership and played an important role in organising the protests, will not join the new government itself but would approve the new lineup, a union source told Reuters.

The purge is unlikely to fully quell protests in Tunisia, some of which are spontaneous and others more organised.

When: 1/28/11

Where: Tunis

What: Hundreds of protesters were still camped outside the prime minister's office on Friday morning, but opinions on the cabinet reshuffle were divided. Some protesters said the new government lineup met 80 percent of their demands and it was time to end the sit-in, while others said they would not go until Ghannouchi did.

It was not clear if the new lineup would appease Tunisians beyond the protesters outside the prime minister's office, mostly students or young unemployed men who came from rural Tunisia to make their voices heard in the capital.

But life began to return to normal in central Tunis, where the streets were jammed with cars and shops and offices were open.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction: The new government -- agreed after talks with all political parties and civil society groups -- [has promised it] would lead the country into its first free elections, to be organised by an independent body and monitored by international observers.

When: 1/28/11

Where: Tunis – government HQ

What: Remaining protestors who reject the interim government (mostly from rural Tunisia) remain while many of the coastal Tunisians were placated by the reshuffled interim government. Few 100.

Creditability: Much diminished from before the cabinet reshuffling. Increasingly from marginalized areas and groups.

Complaints/Demands: Reuse to leave the camp as long as any RCD member remain in government.

Regime Reaction: Muted at first, containing them, other wise tolerating them. The area has been cut off. Barbed wire, soldiers and police stop protesters from reaching the casbah or old city. Judges, lawyers and others arrive in their robes to try to persuade the protesters into ending their sit-in.

Later this day (next article) the police stormed the protest camp to disperse the protesters. 5 people were injured. Heaviest police reaction yet. Hundreds from Tunis later joined the ousted youths in clashes with police. Thousands in Sidi Bouzid protested in sympathy with the youths.

Coastal vs. interior rift developing (UGTT and Tunisian Bar Association had asked them to end their strike).

When: 1/31/11

Where: Tunis, Gessrine (“marginalised town in the interior of Tunisia”)

What: Gangs armed with knives and sticks roamed the streets of the Tunisian town of Gessrine attacking government buildings and threatening residents. Another group marauded through central Tunis on Saturday, dispersing a protest by Tunisian feminists.

Creditability: Minimal - Street thugs (possibly apolitical, just opportunistically taking advantage of a police strike).

Complaints/Demands: Do not appear to be protesters with particular political demands.

Regime Reaction: No government reaction as police were on strike and army is struggling to impose order. The gangs were chased away in Tunis by shopkeepers, who were also armed with knives and sticks. Some shopkeepers suggested the gangs were either loyalists of the former ruling RCD party or paid by Ben Ali to create havoc in the streets.

When: 2/1/11

Where: Tunis Airport, elsewhere in Tunis

What: Airport Worker Strike, Tunisie Telecom worker protest, ministry of higher education staged a protest, an unnamed Tunis Hotel.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Airport workers want better pay. Telcom workers are protesting their firm’s plans to list on the Paris and Tunis stock exchanges - they want their employer to reduce the gap between the top and bottom earners and improve lower salaries. The hotel workers want their manager removed, no word on what the ministry employees wanted.

Regime Reaction: None specified.

When: 2/1/11

Where: Southern Gabes region of Tunisia

What: Arsonists set fire to a synagogue

Creditability: No group has claimed responsibility

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction: Rumors have it (not from this article) that actions like these are being instigated by former RCD loyalists.

When: 2/1/11

Where: Carthage (a wealthy area home to the presidential palace.)

What: Gangs of youths raided two schools in the suburb of Carthage, terrifying students.

Creditability: Minimal – street thugs; seemingly apolitical.

Complaints/Demands: Rumors have it (not from this article) that actions like these are being instigated by former RCD loyalists.

Regime Reaction: Witnesses said gangs had also rampaged through several schools in other parts of the capital, prompting army units to deploy outside the gates to calm fears among pupils and parents. Army helicopters could also be seen circling above the city. The Tunisian army fired shots in the air to disperse gangs of youths.

When: 2/1/11

Where: Tunis, Sousse, Kairouan, and Bizerta

What: Police Strike

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: They called for improved working conditions and denounced the reorganization of police services at the central level. Some also criticized the coverage of recent event in the country by certain Tunisian media.

Regime Reaction:

When: 2/1/11

Where: Tunis

What: Tunisia's interior ministry said it had replaced 34 senior security officials, in a first step to overhauling the vast network of police, security forces and spies built up by Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali over two decades.

Creditability: High – government action bolstering its credibility.

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction:

When: 2/1/11

Where: Tunis (Farhat Rajhi- new interior minister)

What: Tunisia's new interior minister said on Tuesday that some members of the Tunisian security forces are conspiring to undermine state security, after what he said was an attack by a 2,000-strong group on the interior ministry.

Creditability: As part of the new interim government High, however the claim has yet to be proven though it is a widely believed rumor.

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction: Rajhi said he had sacked the national security chief because he had not followed orders in clearing out protesters camped outside government offices on Saturday. The interior minister who led the crackdown on the uprising that toppled former president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali has also been arrested.

The next day (next article) a deal was been reached to raise the salary of policeman from 20 U.S. dollars to 100 dollars per month, which should help the security situation.

When: 2/2/11

Where: Tunisia

What: The ouster of Ben Ali has emboldened many Tunisians to strike to demand better pay and conditions.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Better pay and conditions.

Regime Reaction: Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi urged Tunisians on Wednesday to return to work to prevent the economy collapsing after fears of growing lawlessness kept many people at home in recent days

When: 2/3/11

Where: Tunis

What: Interview with Nadha party leader, Rachid Ghannouchi.

Creditability: Moderate-High. Nadha had a surprisingly strong showing in the 1989 Tunisian elections that led to his exile and the party being banned. He also had the strongest welcome, in the thousands, of any returning exile leader so far. Analysts in the article (Reuters) predict Nadha might get 35-40% of the vote in an election.

Complaints/Demands: Complained that Tunisia's Islamists have been shut out of the interim government. Called for a cabinet that brings together all parties and for the dismantling of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's police state. Said, “"We do not need a presidential system that concentrates power... We need a parliamentary system that spreads power widely, leaving the president as a symbolic head of state." A widely-respected Islamic scholar, Ghannouchi has long preached that Islam is compatible with modernity and multi-party democracy. He compares Ennahda with Turkey's moderate ruling AK Party, rather than Egypt's harder line Muslim Brotherhood. Yet Ghannouchi's return from exile has alarmed some Tunisians who want to keep Islam separate from the state.

Regime Reaction:

When: 2/4/11

Where: Tunisia

What: Tunisia will next week lift a state of emergency that was imposed last month by ousted President Zine al-Abidine

Creditability: High

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction:

When: 2/4/11

Where: Sidi Bouzid

What: Tunisians protested after two men, arrested on charges related to drunkenness, die in police cells after the building caught fire.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction: An investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances of this incident.

2/5/11 - Tunisian authorities have arrested two policemen over suspected links to the death of two civilians after a police station they were locked in caught fire, an Interior Ministry spokesman said (next article).

When: 2/6/11

Where: Kebili, 400 km (250 miles) south of the capital, Kef (Northwest Tunisia, Interior)

What: Protests arose over the nomination of a new regional governor in Kebili. In Kef, there was a protest of several hundred people over abuse of power by the police chief, the chief opening fire, and the riots and the police building was burnt and four died including police and civilians.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Kef - the removal of old-regime officials and warning against any attempt to hijack their revolution. Calling for Kef police chief Khaled Ghazouani to be sacked for abuse of power. The situation degenerated when Ghazouani slapped one of the protesters and the crowd tried to rush the police station and set it ablaze.

Regime Reaction: Kebili - The agency said security forces intervened after a gang of youths tried to attack and set fire to a national guard post outside the town. The youths then attacked another national guard post in the town before marching to the governor's

residence, prompting army troops to intervene. One man was killed by a tear gas canister. Kef – army was deployed. Ghazouni had subsequently been arrested and the situation was calm late Saturday.

When: 2/7/11

Where: Tunisia

What: Tunisia's interior minister has suspended all activities of the country's former ruling party (RCD) of deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: The February 6 announcement came hours after crowds pillaged and burned a police station in the northwestern city of Kef a day after police shot and killed at least two demonstrators.

In the southern town of Kebili, one person died overnight after he was hit by a tear gas canister during clashes with security forces.

Regime Reaction:

When: 2/7/11

Where: Tunis

What: Tunisia's parliament met Monday to vote emergency powers for the country's interim president.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: If approved it will give interim leader Foued Mebazaa power to rule by decree and to sidestep parliament which had been dominated by the Constitutional Democratic Assembly (RCD), the party of Ben Ali which was suspended on Sunday. Later authorized.

Regime Reaction:

When: 2/7/11

Where: Tunis

What: Hundreds of protestors stormed the Tunisian ministry of social affairs.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: The crowds of protestors, who were demanding emergency relief aid after earlier the ministry had announced, on Saturday, the opening of a regional office tasked with the distribution of emergency aid.

Regime Reaction: The army managed to evacuate people working in the ministry to prevent clashes.

When: 2/8/11

Where: Tunis, provincial towns

What: Though not on the same scale as on previous days - with many protesters in provincial towns demanded that regional governors step down because they had ties to Ben Ali's administration. In Tunis, workers at the foreign ministry were on strike for a second day to demand that the minister, Ahmed Ounaiss, resign. He angered many Tunisians with comments they felt showed he did not fully support Tunisia's change of ruler.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands: Gassrine - several hundred people were blocking the highway into the town to protest at what they said was neglect by the central government. Want Ahmed Ounaiss to step down.

Regime Reaction: The governor of the Gassrine region, who was only appointed a few days ago in a purge of regional officials, stepped down on Monday under pressure from protesters who besieged his office. Protests also forced out the newly-appointed governor of Gafsa region. In a deal meant to defuse the tension, Tunisia's biggest trade union said it had agreed with the government that all governors with ties to the ex-ruling party would be removed.

When: 2/9/11

Where:

What: Tunisia will soon hold talks with unions, acting President Fouad Mebazaa said Feb. 9, AFP reported. Social negotiations are the best framework to resolve the current situation, Mebazaa said on national television. Tunisians must be patient, he stated, adding that the demands are legitimate but Tunisians must understand the difficult situation in the country.

Creditability:

Complaints/Demands:

Regime Reaction:

Tunisian families demand release of men still held

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE70N0ND20110124?sp=true

Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:02pm GMT TUNIS (Reuters) - Carrying pictures and placards bearing the names of their menfolk, a crowd throngs the steps of the Justice Ministry demanding Tunisia's new amnesty include the release of 1,500 people jailed under anti-terrorism laws.

Many in the crowd, mostly women, say their relatives were wrongly accused under ousted President Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali, simply because they were Muslims who grew beards or attended daily prayers.

"My brother is sentenced to 30 years of terrorism. Some are sentenced to death or to life. We want the government to free our sons as the anti-terror laws are oppressive and unjust," said Asma Ksouri, who wore a long black coat and black headscarf, symbols of devout Islamic faith banned under Ben Ali.

"He was accused of being a Salafist Muslim. Because he went to dawn prayers, they said he wanted to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq but he was just a Muslim, a devout person," she said referring to a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam observed by some extremist groups including Osama bin Laden' s al Qaeda.

Like other Western-allied Arab leaders, Ben Ali saw himself as a bulwark against the spread of militant Islam.

Human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine says no one knows how many political prisoners are held in Tunisia's jails but estimates they number about 1,500, mostly accused of terrorism.

"What we know is that over the last six years, every Saturday there was a special court that sentenced people to 20 years or more," she told Reuters.

Tunisia's interim government, which took power after Ben Ali was forced out last week, quickly announced all political prisoners would be released and banned parties recognised.

Some have since been freed but it appears others held on terrorism charges remain in jail.

"My son prayed like other people. He was sentenced to 12 years," said Fatima Hussein, whose son Mehdi, 31, was arrested in 2006. "Why are they not included in this amnesty law? Where is this amnesty? This terror law was an oppressive law."

CRACKDOWN ON ISLAMISTS

Secularism was strictly enforced in Tunisia for decades. Women were not allowed to wear the veil nor men to grow beards.

Ben Ali banned Tunisia's largest Islamist party, Ennahda -- Renaissance -- and cracked down harshly on its members during the 1990s. Its leaders were exiled and its members were jailed, although the party is considered moderately Islamist.

"My brother is accused of terrorism. His father died so he began to pray and they stopped him outside the mosque and asked him for ID. He didn't have it with him and the next time they cracked down on the mosque they took him," Fatiha Ben Amer said of Imad, a carpenter, who has served four years so far.

"They sentenced him first to death, but reduced it to life. He had been married only four months when he was arrested."

Some of those still in prison were arrested following clashes that broke out in 2006 and 2007 between security forces and a small group of Islamists in an area called Sulaiman.

The fighters were killed and security forces later arrested 30 men with alleged links to the group in Sidi Bouzid, home province of Mohamed Bouazizi, whose self-immolation ignited the the protests that led to the downfall of the government.

The families of those arrested said they signed confessions under duress and were not involved in political activities or violence. They say Ben Ali's crackdown was aimed at bolstering his ties with Washington.

"Their trials were unjust," said Lamine Ragouby, whose son Saber, 27, was sentenced to death for his alleged role.

"He had no gun, he had no passport or driving licence. There were clashes but those involved were killed," said Ragouby, who has not been allowed to visit his son for three years and relies on the International Committee of the Red Cross for information.

Others were arrested abroad and deported to Tunis.

"My son Karim is accused of terrorism. He was studying Islamic law in Syria and they arrested him for 2 1/2 months before moving him to Tunisia..." said Khmeisa Saidani. "They said he wanted to go to Iraq but he was just a normal person."

Tunisia Army Leader Pledges StabilityBy DAVID D. KIRKPATRICKPublished: January 24, 2011http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/world/africa/25tunis.html?ref=world

TUNIS — The general credited with orchestrating the departure of Tunisia’s former president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, told a crowd of protesters on Monday that he would uphold “the revolution” that brought down the government, and he promised that the military would guarantee stability until the interim government held elections, witnesses said.

They were the first public statements by the general, Rachid Ammar, since Mr. Ben Ali fled the country 10 days ago. General Ammar and Tunisia’s military — an unusually apolitical and professional force compared with others in the region — paved the way for Mr. Ben Ali’s ouster by refusing to fire on civilian protestors and then restored order by restraining both civilian rioters and Mr. Ben Ali’s brutal police force.

As a result, many political leaders here consider him the unofficial power behind Tunisia’s fragile interim government. But whether he was directing that government from behind the scenes or taking order from it had been impossible to determine.

But after a week of silence he appeared Monday evening on the pavement outside the Defense Ministry to address a crowd of several hundred protestors using a bullhorn. They had gathered to demand the dissolution of the interim government because it is dominated by former members of Mr. Ben Ali’s ruling party.

“Our revolution, your revolution, the revolution of the young risks being lost,” General Amarr said, according to Agence France-Presse. “There are forces that are calling for a void, a power vacuum. The void brings terror, which brings dictatorship.”

He pledged to guarantee the success of the revolution and to respect the Constitution, and he urged the crowd to give the government time to hold free elections within six months, several witnesses said. A.F.P. reported that he asked the protesters to let “this government or another one” work.

His appearance seemed intended to calm the crowds that had been pressing the civilian government to resign and might be the first public indication that General Ammar stood behind that government instead of above it.

The interim government has had to wait out a standoff with mounting protests demanding an end to the continued dominance of former members of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s old ruling party.

Caravans of hundreds of demonstrators arrived in Tunis over the weekend from the impoverished southern provinces where the revolution began. Defying an 8 p.m. curfew,

they set up camp for the night in the Old City square between the prime minster’s office and the Finance Ministry.

Witnesses said that the tried to disperse the rowdy crowd with water cannons and tear gas early Saturday, but the Tunisian military intervened to protect the demonstrators and hold back the police — continuing the role it has played since Mr. Ben Ali fled.

On Monday, an army officer stationed in the square, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said it was “very difficult” to restrain the police every day. He said he hoped the holdover ministers from the old ruling party would soon resign so that revolution could end happily.

The interim government’s defenders, including the opposition leaders in its ranks, say that the experienced hands from the old ruling party are necessary to guide the country to free elections in six months. A government official, also speaking without authorization and on condition of anonymity, argued that after decades of enforced silence under Mr. Ben Ali, Tunisians needed time to vent their anger.

By Monday morning, hundreds of protesters were calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, chanting, “Ghannouchi, wait, wait, we will dig you a grave.”

Residents of the capital have donated stacks of old mattresses and bags of food for the demonstrators who have arrived from the south. A group of woman was making and passing out sandwiches from the porch of the Finance Ministry, which graffiti artists had renamed “the Ministry of Thieves.” Demonstrators picnicked next to army tanks and coils of barbed wire.

Meanwhile, the government hurried to reopen a private television station that was shut down Sunday in what appeared to be a blatant violation of pledges to respect the freedom of speech. There were conflicting reports about whether an opposition member of the cabinet or the prime minister himself had interceded on the station’s behalf. Separately, a teachers’ strike prevented the reopening of the schools.

Tunisia offers $350 mln compensation to revolt victimshttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tunisia-offers-350-mln-compensation-to-revolt-victims/

1.24.11

TUNIS, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Tunisia's government agreed on Monday to offer 500 million dinars ($354 million) in compensation to the families of those killed in the month-long uprising, the regional development minister Nejib Chebbi said.

Chebbi, an opposition leader who joined the interim government after the overthrow of former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali this month, told Hannibal TV that the government would pay 150 dinars a month to the unemployed.

The government would also replace some of the provincial governors, he said, after protesters from the deprived interior of Tunisia complained of widespread corruption and repression.

The concessions come as Tunisia's embattled interim government faces 24-hour protests demanding that it step aside.

Protesters complain that too many of its ministers, not least Prime Minister Mohamed Ghanouchi, are former members of Ben Ali's RCD party.

Negotiations were under way on Monday to create a council comprised of unionists, lawyers, opposition parties and civil society movements that would supervise the interim government.

The move aims to appease protesters and convince them that the ruling RCD party and its officials will not take back power.

Tunisian Protesters Continue Anti-Government Rally

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Tunisian-Protesters-Continue-Anti-Government-Rally-114542529.html

VOA News  25 January 2011

Hundreds of protesters in Tunisia have gathered outside the prime minister's office, continuing a push to force Cabinet members linked to deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to leave the government.

The rally Tuesday in the capital, Tunis, comes a day after police fired tear gas to break up similar anti-government demonstrations at the site.

On Monday, Tunisian officials said they are negotiating the formation of a supervisory council to oversee the country's interim government in an effort to appease the protesters.

Sources involved in the discussions said the proposed council would issue an electoral code and hold elections for a new parliament that would rewrite the constitution.

The sources say the oversight body would include Tunisia's powerful labor union, the bar association, civil groups and political parties - including the country's largest Islamist group, Al Nahda, which was banned under Mr. Ben Ali.

A Cabinet reshuffle also is expected within the next few days to fill ministries vacated by a slew of resignations.  Five ministers have stepped down since the interim Cabinet was announced last week, including three labor union representatives and one opposition leader.

Earlier, Tunisia's army chief warned that a "power vacuum" could bring back the dictatorship, as pressure continues to mount on the interim government.

Tunisian army disperses protest, man burns himselfhttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tunisian-army-disperses-protest-man-burns-himself/

1.25.11

TUNIS, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Tunisian soldiers fired in the air on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in the central city of Gefsa and a young man set himself alight inside the regional labour union headquarters in protest, witnesses said.

It appeared to be the first time the Tunisian army had intervened in the demonstrations since the ousting of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Jan 14, and comes a day after an influential general said the army was ready to protect the revolution.

General Rachid Ammar's refusal to crack down on protesters was seen as a turning point that forced Ben Ali to flee.

Witnesses identified the man who set himself alight as Alaadine Kmat and said he had suffered severe burns but remained alive. Kmat entered the union building after the army intervened in a protest outside the union headquarters to demand better economic opportunities.

Tunisia's uprising began in the town of Sidi Bouzid after Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire on Dec 17. Like Gefsa, Sidi Bouzid is a poorer town in the interior of the country where locals complain they have long been marginalised.

The army had also intervened to break up scuffles between opponents of the interim government and others who felt it was time to end the protests and return to work, witnesses said.

Scuffles broke out in the capital Tunis on Tuesday between those demanding the interim government be given a chance and those calling for all loyalists of the former ruling party to step down. (Reporting by Tarek Amara, Writing by Lin Noueihed)

Riot police fire tear gas at Tunis protest: AFPhttp://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20110126/twl-tunisia-politics-unrest-demo-4bdc673.htmlAFP - 44 minutes ago

TUNIS (AFP) - – Riot police on Wednesday fired tear gas at an anti-government rally in the main ministerial quarter in Tunis, after some of the protesters tried to force a police barrier, an AFP reporter said.

Hundreds of protesters had spent a third night camped out in front of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi's office to pressure the government to resign because of the presence of old regime figures in the new cabinet line-up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/world/africa/27tunisia.html

Tunisia Issues Warrant for Arrest of Ousted Leader

TUNIS — The interim government in Tunisia has issued an international arrest warrant for the overthrown president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, and members of his family for financial offenses, the justice minister said Wednesday, as protesters continued their call to rid the government of cabinet members connected to Mr. Ben Ali.

People fled tear gas during clashes with security forces in front of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi’s office in Tunis on Wednesday.

The warrant has been sent to Interpol. Meanwhile, Switzerland announced that it has blocked funds worth tens of millions of Swiss francs connected to the Ben Ali family, but did not provide further details.

In a country where it is novel for public officials to face a free press, the justice minister, Lazhar Karoui Chebbi, announced the warrant in a long monologue at the head of a conference table surrounded by throngs of journalists whose subsequent questions quickly descended into a shouting match. Mr. Chebbi was once allied with Mr. Ben Ali.

As the minister spoke, the chants of protesters calling for the release of political prisoners came in through the windows, while the families of prisoners thronged the steps to the ministry and the hall outside the room.

Despite a call for calm from pro-government demonstrators, the police fired tear gas at protesters who massed outside the offices of the prime minister to demand the dissolution of his government.

The turbulence came as the interim authorities prepared to announced changes in the government, which protesters say includes too many ministers, including Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, carried over from the administration of Mr. Ben Ali.

In a square outside the prime minister’s offices, some demonstrators among a crowd of more than 1,000 hurled rocks at the police as billows of tear gas enfolded them, according to witnesses and security forces, and several protesters were taken to the hospital. But the police cleared only a side street and left the protest in the square to continue, surrounded by army soldiers watching from the sidelines.

The confrontation seemed again to raise the question of what would satisfy protesters here whose example in recent days seemed to provide inspiration to antigovernment marchers in Egypt calling for the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

Demonstrators in Lebanon against the Beirut Parliament’s election of a new prime backed by Hezbollah are fueling the impression of a region in turmoil.

On Tuesday in Tunis, after days of antigovernment protests, dozens marched in the capital to show their support for the interim government that replaced Mr. Ben Ali, pleading with their fellow citizens to give the temporary leadership time to hold elections.

But they remained vastly outnumbered by more than a thousand protesters demanding the dissolution of the government, angry at its continued domination by former members of Mr. Ben Ali’s ruling party.

The two groups scuffled briefly.

The state news agency also reported that another Tunisian had attempted to set himself on fire in the impoverished interior city of Gefsa. It was the first instance of an attempt at self-immolation since a peddler burned himself to death, setting off the country’s revolt. More than a dozen people in North Africa and the Middle East have set themselves on fire since the Tunisian revolution started.

The interim government, which has pledged to hold free elections in six months, appeared to be attempting to wait out the protests. In efforts to placate the demonstrators, the government announced a plan to spend over $350 million compensating those injured in the unrest, the families of people who were killed, and craftsmen and traders whose businesses have suffered during the revolt.

There was also sporadic evidence that not all of the police were abiding by the interim government’s pledges to respect press freedoms. Moises Saman, a freelance photojournalist with the Magnum agency, working in Tunis for The New York Times,

was mildly injured when he was assaulted by about a half-dozen police officers Tuesday evening at dusk. He was attempting to photograph a group of police officers beating a man in an alley.

Loyalists of ousted Tunisia leader expected to goThousands rally as Tunisia awaits new cabinet

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/01/27/135265.html

Thousands took to the streets of Tunisia on Thursday to call for old regime politicians to be ousted after the fall of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, as the cabinet prepared a reshuffle.

Tunisia plans to overhaul the lineup of its interim government, a move expected to see key loyalists of the ousted president step aside in a bid to end persistent protests.

There were protests in the capital Tunis as well as in Sidi Bouzid, a poor rural town in central Tunisia where demonstrations against Ben Ali's 23-year authoritarian regime began last month and grew into a national uprising.

Theft of revolution

"No to the theft of the revolution! Yes to the resignation of the government!" the protesters chanted as the town held a general strike, calling on Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to heed their calls for change, according to AFP.

"God is great! We will stay loyal the blood of the martyrs of the revolution!" they chanted -- a reference to the dozens of people killed in a bloody crackdown by Ben Ali's security forces that failed to stem the revolt.

Tunisia's main trade union, the UGTT, which played a key role in the movement against Ben Ali, has refused to recognize the caretaker government installed after the president fled on January 14.

UGTT officials said they were meeting Thursday to take a "final decision" on whether or not to accept the government, which is preparing the country's first democratic elections but has been clouded by controversy.

The ripples of the Arab world's first popular revolt in recent history have been felt across the region, where difficult social and economic conditions have created widespread popular discontent against veteran regimes.

The uprising has electrified Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa, where many countries share the complaints of poor living standards and authoritarian rule.

Thousands of Yemenis demonstrated in the capital on Thursday, calling on President Ali Abdullah Saleh to go. He has been in power since 1978.

Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, also braced for further unrest after protests in Cairo and Suez that left six people dead this week.

Egyptian police say they have arrested at least 1,000 people at the rallies.

Sharing problems

The United States has said much of the Arab world shares the same problems that helped set off the events in Tunisia and has called for governments in the region to heed the "democratic aspirations" of their people.

Tunisia's government has moved quickly to grant unprecedented democratic freedoms, including lifting strict controls on the media, releasing political prisoners and legalizing previously banned political parties.

It has also issued an international arrest warrant that has been relayed by Interpol for Ben Ali and members of his once all-powerful family on charges of illegal transfers of funds abroad and illicit acquisition of assets.

Ben Ali has sought refuge in Saudi Arabia, which says he can stay as long as he does not engage in any political activity.

But 33 family members have been arrested in Tunisia, as others have scattered across the globe.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said members of Tunisia's former regime were "not welcome" in his country, following reports that Belhassen Trabelsi, Ben Ali's billionaire brother-in-law had sought refuge there.

The UGTT, the General Union of Tunisian Workers, meanwhile has mobilized thousands of protesters to get key figures associated with the old regime to quit.

But Ghannouchi, who has been premier since 1999, has ruled out resigning until after the interim government has organized elections.

General strike

On Wednesday the UGTT organized a general strike in Tunisia's second biggest city, Sfax, in which tens of thousands of people took part. It is planning another on Friday in

Ben Arous, an industrial area south of the capital.

Ghannouchi has struggled to restore order in the north African state.

The government has eased a curfew put in place under Ben Ali to clamp down on protests and has ordered the country's schools and universities to re-open, but many have stayed shut because of strike action by teachers.

The cabinet has also been locked in tense negotiations this week over a reshuffle that sources close to the government told AFP could replace the defense, foreign and interior ministers.

Their presence of the three ministers, all holdovers from the Ben Ali era, has been a major source of public discontent.

The army, which has deployed around the country but kept a low political profile, has urged a return to calm and warned against the creation of a "power vacuum" that could lead to dictatorship in the north African state.

Concern about political instability in north Africa was reflected in sharp rises in the cost of insuring debt issued by Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco against default.

Ratings agency Fitch said however that it did not expect a Tunisia-style uprising in Morocco, because the country has invested in social housing and made progress in alleviating poverty

Tunisia purges government and wins union endorsementhttp://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=2394028/01/2011

TUNIS, (Reuters) – The Tunisian government ditched loyalists to its ousted president on Thursday -- a move which won backing from the powerful labour union and could help defuse protests which have inspired people across the Middle East.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, who retained his job, said 12 ministers would be replaced, purging the interim government of members of the former ruling party including the interior, defence and foreign ministers.

"This government is a transitional, interim government that will remain until it completes its mission of taking the country to democracy," Ghannouchi said in a live television address.

Weeks of violent protests by Tunisians angered by poverty, repression and corruption forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia on January 14 after 23 years in power.

But they had been angered after an interim government led by Ghannouchi had retained many former Ben Ali loyalists.

The purge is unlikely to fully quell protests in Tunisia, some of which are spontaneous and others more organised.

After the prime minister's television address, chants of "bread, water but no Ghannouchi" broke out among protesters who had launched a sit-in outside his office to demand he resign.

"We reject Ghannouchi totally. We were surprised to see him announce the government," said protester Mohammed Fadel. "Since he did not fight corruption under Ben Ali, he is an accomplice."

But the move would nonetheless provide greater legitimacy to the interim government, which had struggled to impose order after Ben Ali fled.

Earlier on Thursday, thousands of demonstrators thronged Bourguiba Avenue, the main boulevard in the capital Tunis, demanding that the government resign.

They also broke through police lines outside the prime minister's office, where hundreds of demonstrators had pledged to camp out until the government resigned.

The purge replaced members of Ben Ali's former ruling RCD party with ministers who Ghannouchi said were chosen for their high levels of experience and qualifications.

He also promised the new government -- agreed after talks with all political parties and civil society groups -- would lead the country into its first free elections, to be organised by an independent body and monitored by international observers.

The powerful UGTT labour union, which has a large membership and played an important role in organising the protests, will not join the new government itself but would approve the new lineup, a union source told Reuters.

TUNISIA INSPIRES PROTESTS ACROSS MIDEAST

Tunisia's uprising has electrified Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa, where many countries share the complaints of poor living standards and authoritarian rule.

Inspired by Tunisia's example, thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Protests have also spread to Yemen, where thousands took to the streets to demand a change of government.

In addition to the cabinet reshuffle, Tunisia is aiming to set up a council of "wise men" to guide the country to democracy from the authoritarian state run by Ben Ali.

Veteran politician Ahmed Mestiri, a prominent figure during the era of Tunisia's independence leader Habib Bourguiba, said he hoped to head the council.

"The council would protect the revolt that broke out spontaneously. The time has come for the process to be structured," Mestiri, 80, said in an interview on Wednesday.

In the unrest that brought down Ben Ali, the United Nations has said that 117 died, including 70 killed by gunfire.

Amnesty International that it had established that security forces used disproportionate force to disperse protesters and in some cases fired on fleeing protesters and bystanders.

The rights group said doctors' testimonies seen by its researchers show some protesters were shot from behind, indicating they were fleeing. Others were killed by single shots to the chest or head, suggesting deliberate intent to kill.

"This shocking evidence confirms that the Tunisian security forces were using lethal methods to quell discontent and to deter protesters," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East North Africa Programme.

A U.N. human rights team begins work in Tunisia later on Thursday. The 8-strong team will investigate past violations and advise the interim government on justice and reforms.

Tunisia's interim government had begun to compensate the families of those killed or wounded in the protests, the state news agency said.

WRAPUP 1-New Tunisian cabinet draws mixed responseFri Jan 28, 2011 12:03pm GMT http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE70R10K20110128?feedType=RSS&feedName=egyptNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAfricaEgyptNews+%28News+%2F+Africa+%2F+Egypt+News%29&sp=true

Print | Single Page[-] Text [+]

* Ghannouchi stays on as prime minister

* Ministers from former ruling party purged

(Changes day in paragraph 1)

By Lin Noueihed

TUNIS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Tunisian protesters gave a mixed reception to the country's newly reshuffled cabinet on Friday, with some saying the continued presence of the prime minister in the government was unacceptable.

The government ditched ministers loyal to ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Thursday -- a move which won backing from the powerful labour union and could help defuse protests which have inspired people across the Middle East.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi said 12 ministers would be replaced, purging the interim government of members of the former ruling party including the interior, defence and foreign ministers.

Hundreds of protesters were still camped outside the prime minister's office on Friday morning, but opinions on the cabinet reshuffle were divided.

Some protesters said the new government lineup met 80 percent of their demands and it was time to end the sit-in, while others said they would not go until Ghannouchi did.

"I feel this is an improvement. Lots of doors that were closed have been opened. The ones making the noise have a brother or someone who died so they are upset," said Raed Chawishi, 24, outside the prime minister's office.

"We have elections after six months. We have the right to vote, we can decide. If we don't like it, we can continue the revolution. I think now we should wait for a bit."

Saifeddine Missraoui, a student who has helped organise food and drink for protesters, took a harder line.

"We are not leaving here until Ghannouchi leaves and we get a brand new government. We want the ruling party, the RCD, to go completely," he said

It was not clear if the new lineup would appease Tunisians beyond the protesters outside the prime minister's office, mostly students or young unemployed men who came from rural Tunisia to make their voices heard in the capital.

But life began to return to normal in central Tunis, where the streets were jammed with cars and shops and offices were open.

TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT

Weeks of violent protests by Tunisians angered by poverty, repression and corruption forced Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14 after 23 years in power.

But many were angered by the emergence of an interim government led by Ghannouchi which retained several former Ben Ali loyalists.

The purge is unlikely to fully quell protests, but it would provide greater legitimacy to the interim government, which had struggled to impose order after Ben Ali fled.

The purge replaced members of Ben Ali's former ruling RCD party with ministers who Ghannouchi said were chosen for their high levels of experience and qualifications.

He also promised the new government -- agreed after talks with all political parties and civil society groups -- would lead the country into its first free elections, to be organised by an independent body and monitored by international observers.

Tunisia's uprising has electrified Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa, where many countries share the complaints of poor living standards and authoritarian rule.

Inspired by Tunisia's example, thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Protests have also spread to Yemen, where thousands took to the streets to demand a change of government. (Writing by Giles Elgood; editing by Andrew Roche)

Tunisia protesters turn government HQ into campsite

http://af.reuters.com/article/tunisiaNews/idAFLDE70R13720110128?sp=true

Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:43pm GMT

TUNIS Jan 28 (Reuters) - They said they would bring their voice to the capital. A week on, protesters from Tunisia's rural interior have taken over the seat of government, setting up tents and distributing food to support their 24-hour sit-in.

The protest has taken on a festival atmosphere. Banners hang from the windows of Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi's office. The Ottoman-era building is covered in graffiti, some demanding the government go, some just hailing their own home town.

"SBZ," is tagged along the walls, referring to Sidi Bouzid, the marginalised central province where Tunisia's revolt began.

"Tataouine says Ghannouchi out" reads another.

These few hundred young men, many of them students, are the hard core of protesters who want to remove toppled president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali's old guard from the interim government that will lead the country to its first democratic elections.

Many are not satisfied with Thursday's cabinet reshuffle, which purged the government of 12 members of the old guard, and said they would stay until Ghannouchi himself resigns.

"We are not leaving here until Ghannouchi leaves and we get a brand new government," said Saifeddine Missraoui, a student from Kairouan who has organised the distribution of food.

Behind him, dirty pans soak in water coloured red by the spicy harissa paste popular in across North Africa.

"The dictatorship in Tunisia continues and we will confront this until we have democracy ... Ghannouchi's silence is evidence of his collaboration," he said. "Revolution does not happen instantly. It could take two months or it could take a year."

Many Tunisians accuse Ben Ali and his coterie of amassing wealth at the expense of the people. While few accuse Ghannouchi himself of corruption, many say the man who served as prime minister under Ben Ali is tainted by association.

SOME RETHINKING

While those who came from the bleak farms and grim villages of the interior are determined to stay, those who joined them from the capital are beginning to rethink their position.

Sitting on mats and blankets beneath a tarpaulin, groups of protesters discuss whether to stay or go.

"We've reached the end but we have not crossed the finish line. Lots of people still want Ghannouchi to leave and others are celebrating this new line-up as a victory," said Mohamed Matousi, a student. "Opinions differ. It is not clear."

A clutch of Salafist Islamists, identifiable by their beards and short robes, walk around the tents chanting "God is Great."

Another group with a loudspeaker makes a list of demands, such as independent elections with international monitors, apparently unaware that Ghannouchi has already promised this.

One man demanded a council to redraft the constitution, though a High Committee for Political Reform has already been set up to revise the body of law, starting with election laws.

The area has been cut off. Barbed wire, soldiers and police stop protesters from reaching the casbah or old city.

Judges, lawyers and others arrived in their robes to try to persuade the protesters into ending their sit-in.

"This is just a transitional government and it is enough for now, to calm things down and for people to go back to work," said Khalil, from the capital. "We are here to convince people."

But standing beside a white gazebo labelled Casbah Media Relations, Naim Garbousi said protesters had a list of demands.

"The new line-up is a theatre. The symbols of the old regime are left, like Ghannouchi," said Garbousi, from the central town of Gefsa. "Why is he insisting on staying. We are 10 million people, there will surely be someone who can replace him." (Editing by Giles Elgood)

Five injured in new Tunisia clashes as police demolish demo camp

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1615424.php/Five-injured-in-new-Tunisia-clashes-as-police-demolish-demo-camp

Jan 28, 2011, 17:53 GMT

Tunis - Police in Tunisia Friday clashed with a few hundred demonstrators who had been staging a sit-in since Sunday outside the offices of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, tearing down the camp.

Five people were reported injured after police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, who had braved a curfew the past five nights to demand the government's dissolution, medical sources said.

One of the injured was hit by a tear gas canister in the head, the sources said.

Dozens of police then moved in to tear down the protesters' camp.

Witnesses said the police response was the heaviest yet against the youths, who have been protesting the inclusion in the country's new unity government of allies of ousted leader Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

After being chased from the area surrounding government buildings, the protesters, who converged on Tunis last weekend from around the country, regrouped on the city's main avenue, Habib Bourguiba.

Hundreds of residents of the capital took to the streets in solidarity with the protesters and also joined in the clashes with police.

In the central city of Sidi Bouzid, hometown of some of the protesters and home of this month's Jasmine Revolution, thousands of people staged a demonstration, also out of solidarity with the protesters in Tunis, sources there told dpa.

On Thursday evening, Ghannouchi announced a revised new cabinet that had been purged of all but two ministers that served under Ben Ali.

The government of mostly technocrats met with widespread approval in Tunisia, but some of the youths that led opposition to Ben Ali are bent on removing all emblems of his repressive regime.

Ghannouchi himself served as prime minister under Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14 after a month-long popular uprising that cost at least 78 lives.

Police disperse sit-in protestors in Tunis

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-01/29/c_13711735.htm

English.news.cn   2011-01-29 02:01:17

TUNIS, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Police dispersed scores of protestors on the sixth day of a sit-in around the prime minister' s office on Friday, reported the state run agency TAP.

In spite of the announcement on Thursday of the reshuffle of the interim government which led to the appointment of independent figures in key ministerial positions, the demonstrators reiterated their demand for the removal of the government. Police used tear gas to drive the demonstrators away from government square.

No injuries were reported. Earlier, the Tunisian labor union asked protestors to set up a watch dog committee to monitor the work of the government, as well as buses to take them back to their provinces.

The Bar association which originally supported demonstrators, also urged them to end their sit-in. The union also announced that the Prime Minister had agreed to meet with the protestors, without disclosing any date.

No major demonstrations were reported on Friday in the country, as tensions fell following the announcement of the reshuffle on Thursday. Work resumed normally in the capital and shops were opened.

Gangs stir fear, chaos in Tunisian town of Gessrine

http://af.reuters.com/article/tunisiaNews/idAFLDE70U2JY20110131

Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:37pm GMT

TUNIS Jan 31 (Reuters) - Gangs armed with knives and sticks roamed the streets of the Tunisian town of Gessrine on Monday, attacking government buildings and threatening residents, witnesses and the state news agency said.

The gangs burnt a youth centre and attacked a number of other buildings in Gessrine, a marginalised town in the interior of Tunisia, the official TAP agency reported.

A strike meant police were not on the streets on Monday and the army has struggled to restore order in Gessrine. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.

Weeks of popular protests forced president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali to flee the country on Jan 14, ending 23 years of police rule; but demonstrations continued as many Tunisians felt the interim government that took over retained too many symbols of the old regime.

Major street protests have begun to dry up in recent days after a reshuffle purged the interim government of most of the old guard but gangs of youths marauded through central Tunis on Saturday, dispersing a protest by Tunisian feminists.

They were chased away on the central Bourguiba Avenue by shopkeepers, also armed with knives and sticks, who said they had had enough of the distrubances and wanted to protect their businesses from looters and saboteurs.

Some shopkeepers suggested the gangs were either loyalists of the former ruling RCD party or paid by Ben Ali to create havoc in the streets. Like the youths marauding through Gessrine, they did not appear to be protesters with particular political demands.

Ben Ali, who was interior minister before he took power in 1987, had a vast network of police, interior security forces and spies. That network has not been dismantled since the revolution. Diplomats say that while Ben Ali's presidential guard had mostly been scattered or killed, a small number of armed loyalists may remain inside the country. (Reporting by Tarek Amara and Lin Noueihed)

Industrial action disrupts flights from Tunisia

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/February/middleeast_February10.xml&section=middleeast&col=

1 February 2011

TUNIS - A strike by Tunis airport workers demanding better pay forced the delay and cancellation of flights on Monday, the latest example of industrial action by Tunisians emboldened by the ousting of their president this month.

The strike had not been announced in advance or widely publicised. Travelers arrived to scenes of groups of airport staff in heated debate about their demands with managers. Flights had left earlier in the day.

The airport’s web site carried no word of the strike and a short news story on state TV did not say when it would end.

Since the end of Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali’s autocratic rule, Tunisians have staged strikes at ministries, hotels and other institutions. Ben Ali was toppled by a wave of popular protests that forced him to leave the country on Jan. 14.

Employees of state-controlled Tunisie Telecom have protested against the firm’s plans to list on the Paris and Tunis stock exchanges. They want their employer to reduce the gap between the top and bottom earners and improve lower salaries.

Montassar Wali, the Tunisie Telecom chairman, resigned on Monday, a spokesman said, declining to give a reason. Tunise Telecom is the biggest fixed and mobile operator in the north African country.

At one Tunis hotel, staff stopped work on Friday to press demands including the removal of the manager. Employees of the ministry of higher education staged at protest at its headquarters in Tunis on Monday.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.14ad44f3cc93dec11aaef39a3a48949d.671&show_article=1

Synagogue torched in Tunisia: Jewish leaderFeb 1 08:07 AM US/Eastern

Arsonists set fire to a synagogue in the southern Gabes region of Tunisia, a leader of the local Jewish community said Tuesday.

"Someone set fire to the synagogue on Monday night and the Torah scrolls were burned," Trabelsi Perez told AFP, criticising the lack of action by the security services to stop the attack.

"What astonished me was that there were police not far from the synagogue," added Perez, who is also head of the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba, the oldest synagogue in Africa.

Twenty-one people were killed, including 16 European tourists, when Al-Qaeda bombers attacked Ghriba in April 2002.

Army fires in air on gangs raiding Tunis schoolsTue Feb 1, 2011 2:59pm GMT http://af.reuters.com/article/tunisiaNews/idAFLDE7101RU20110201?feedType=RSS&feedName=tunisiaNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAfricaTunisiaNews+%28News+%2F+Africa+%2F+Tunisia+News%29&sp=true TUNIS Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Tunisian army fired shots in the air on Tuesday to disperse gangs of youths who raided two schools in the suburb of Carthage, terrifying students, witnesses said.

They said no one appeared to have been hurt and the students had gone home, but the incident had shaken residents of Carthage, a wealthy area home to the presidential palace.

Witnesses said gangs had also rampaged through several schools in other parts of the capital, prompting army units to deploy outside the gates to calm fears among pupils and parents. Army helicopters could also be seen circling above the city.

Sporadic acts of sabotage and intimidation have broken out since weeks of protests forced Ben Ali to flee the country on Jan. 14, ending 23 years of strict police rule.

The army's refusal to crack down on protesters is widely considered to have been the pivotal moment in the Tunisian uprising, forcing Ben Ali to leave the country. (Reporting by Tarek Amara, Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Matthew Jones)

Tunisian policemen observe nationwide strike

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-02/01/c_13716459.htm

2011-02-01 19:24:09

TUNIS, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian policemen belonging to various security services have observed a strike on Monday, reported the official press agency TAP.

The strikes took place on the Avenue Bourguiba in Tunis, but also in Sousse, Kairouan and Bizerta. Protestors waved banners and Tunisian flags.

They called for improved working conditions and denounced the reorganization of police services at the central level. Some also criticized the coverage of recent event in the country by certain Tunisian media.

In a related event, acts of wanton destruction were reported on Monday in the city of Kasserine, where a gang of people tried to set fire to the city's Higher Institute of Technological Studies, a youth house and a stock breeding center.

According to TAP, the absence of security forces has fostered a climate of fear and insecurity in the city.

Tunisia replaces 34 senior security officialshttp://af.reuters.com/article/tunisiaNews/idAFLDE7102F120110201

2.1.11

TUNIS Feb 1 (Reuters) - Tunisia's interior ministry said on Tuesday it had replaced 34 senior security officials, in a first step to overhauling the vast network of police, security forces and spies built up by Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali over two decades.

Among those replaced were the head of national security, the head of general security and the head of presidential security, key positions under the old regime of Ben Ali, who fled the country on Jan. 14 following weeks of protests.

The move comes after a U.N. human rights official said Tunisia's security forces should be overhauled to stop them from working against the people as they did during the country's uprising, in which 147 people were killed.

Forces conspiring against Tunisian state security - minhttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/forces-conspiring-against-tunisian-state-security-min/

2.1.11

TUNIS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Some members of the Tunisian security forces are conspiring to undermine state security, Tunisia's new interior minister said on Tuesday, after what he said was an attack by a 2,000-strong group on the interior ministry.

"These people who came yesterday to the ministry ... are the same people who went out today to scare people," Farhat Rajhi told privately-owned Hannibal TV.

"There is a conspiracy against state security and there is a conspiracy in the security forces."

Rajhi's comments came after gangs of youths rampaged through schools in the capital on Tuesday, terrorising students, and a day after gangs marauded through the town of Gassrine, burning government buildings and intimidating residents.

Rajhi said he had sacked the national security chief because he had not followed orders in clearing out protesters camped outside government offices on Saturday.

Rajhi also said that the interior minister who led the crackdown on the uprising that toppled former president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali had been arrested.

A U.N. human rights team said on Tuesday that 147 people had been killed and 510 wounded in the revolt that began on Dec. 17.

Tunisia's government has vowed to investigate the abuses and compensate the families of those affected. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; writing by Lin Noueihed; editing by Andrew Roche)

Tunisian interior minister slams attack against ministry

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-02/02/c_13717343.htm

English.news.cn   2011-02-02 17:00:21     FeedbackPrintRSS

TUNIS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia's new interior minister Farhat Rajhi said in a TV interview on Tuesday that the attack against the interior ministry is "a conspiracy to undermine the country."

The gangs with 2,000 people, armed with clubs and knives who terrorized schools throughout the capital of Tunisia on Tuesday, were the same who attacked the ministry, Rajhi told Hannibal, a popular private channel on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile he also announced the dismissal of 34 senior police officers and replacement of seven others.

The security situation in the country was further strained by the strike launched by the country's police on Monday, while a deal has been reached on Tuesday to raise the salary of policeman from 20 U.S. dollars to 100 dollars per month.

Following weeks of protests that followed the ouster of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the north African country restore to normalcy after the country's second interim government removed the remaining loyalists of the former regime. However, the latest assaults on Monday and Tuesday indicated that the factions loyal to Ben Ali and his family are still at large.

Tunisia PM urges return to work after revolutionhttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tunisia-pm-urges-return-to-work-after-revolution/

2.2.11

TUNIS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi urged Tunisians on Wednesday to return to work to prevent the economy collapsing after fears of growing lawlessness kept many people at home in recent days.

Tunisia has had two changes of government since weeks of popular protests ousted former president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali on Jan. 14. Demonstrations had already brought the country to a standstill but the ouster of Ben Ali has also emboldened many Tunisians to strike to demand better pay and conditions.

"The government calls on you to preserve its independence by returning to work, otherwise the country may collapse," Ghannouchi told privately-owned Hannibal TV.

"The security situation is normalising, we have passed the crisis of recent days and we urge you to resume work and defer your claims to meet the challenges."

Marauding gangs of youths have intimidated Tunisians in recent days, rampaging through streets and schools and attacking government buildings.

The chaos was aggravated by a two-day police strike, but security forces returned to work on Wednesday.

Calm appeared to have returned to the capital. Shops and cafes were open and the narrow alleys of the old city were packed after weeks of closures.

INTERVIEW-Tunisia Islamists say excluded, call for unity govtThu Feb 3, 2011 6:36pm GMT http://af.reuters.com/article/tunisiaNews/idAFLDE71224B20110203?feedType=RSS&feedName=tunisiaNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAfricaTunisiaNews+%28News+%2F+Africa+%2F+Tunisia+News%29&sp=true

* Ghannouchi says old regime's political police still active

* Tunisia should change laws to enshrine democracy

* Ennahda believes in women's freedom, gender equality

By Lin Noueihed

TUNIS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Tunisia's Islamists have been shut out of the interim government, Islamist leader Rachid Ghannouchi said, calling for a cabinet that brings together all parties and for the dismantling of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's police state.

Ghannouchi was met by thousands of supporters when he returned from exile on Sunday, indicating his Ennahda party would emerge as a major force in Tunisia after weeks of protests ousted Ben Ali on Jan. 14 and electrified the Arab world.

Banned for over 20 years, Ennahda (Arab for "Renaissance") applied this week for a license and will take part in Tunisia's first free elections, though Ghannouchi himself has pledged not to run for any office.

"No one invited us and no one consulted us over the make-up of this government... We don't know who made up this government, who chose these people, what their authority is, who they answer to," Ghannouchi told Reuters in an interview.

"We called for a government of national alliance comprised of opposition parties and civil society organisations such as the labour union, lawyers and rights groups, a government that... is not imposed like this."

Tunisia has had two changes of government since the revolt that toppled Ben Ali after 23 years of autocratic rule. The first line-up, announced days after Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia, retained many ministers from his former ruling party and failed to convince protesters calling for more sweeping change.

A new lineup announced on Jan. 27 removed most members of the former ruling RCD but retained the prime minister, who had served under Ben Ali. It includes two opposition politicians and excludes Ennahda and several secular opponents of Ben Ali.

Ghannouchi said Ben Ali's RCD was already "dead" but that his vast network of spies, police and internal security was still operating in Tunisia and working against the revolution.

He said dismantling this parallel state was a priority for Ennahda as was the complete revision of Tunisian law to enshrine democracy and prevent the rise of another strongman.

"There is another state that still exists, this is the state of political security and this must be dismantled; its machine of repression, its laws, its institutions and its culture must be dismantled to achieve a pluralist democracy," he said.

"We do not need a presidential system that concentrates power... We need a parliamentary system that spreads power widely, leaving the president as a symbolic head of state."

ISLAM AND FREEDOMS

A widely-respected Islamic scholar, Ghannouchi has long preached that Islam is compatible with modernity and multi-party democracy. He compares Ennahda with Turkey's moderate ruling AK Party, rather than Egypt's harder line Muslim Brotherhood.

Yet Ghannouchi's return from exile has alarmed some Tunisians who want to keep Islam separate from the state.

Ghannouchi said Ennahda believed in individual freedoms, in women's rights and their equality with men.

"There are countries that, in the name of Islam, force women to wear particular attire, and there are countries that, in the name of modernity like Tunisia, ban women from wearing particular attire. We are against either," Ghannouchi said.

"We are with a woman's freedom to decide her clothes, to decide her life partner and not be forced into anything."

Tunisia has for decades been a secular state. Independence leader Habib Bourguiba considered Islam a threat to the state and called the Muslim headcover, or hijab, an "odious rag".

Ben Ali suppressed Ennahda after it officially won over 15 percent of the 1989 vote, exiling and jailing its members. Analysts say Ennahda today might get up to 35-40 percent, close to what it may have actually won in the fraud-ridden 1989 vote.

Ghannouchi said it was too early to say how many followers Ennahda now had or what share of the vote it might win.

Veiled women were long denied access to education and jobs in the North African country and men who prayed too often at the mosque were regularly rounded up by the police.

By Ghannouchi's own estimate, some 30,000 Ennahda members were jailed over the years, and he called for all Tunisians who had been persecuted to be compensated.

Ennahda was not seeking to make Tunisia's constitution, which considers Tunisia an Arab and Muslim state, more Islamic but was seeking to make it more democratic, Ghannouchi said.

"The constitution is cut to fit the size of the dictator. All the powers are concentrated in the hands of the dictator who is accountable to no one. He is the head of the judiciary, the executive branch and controls everything," he said.

"This revolution must dismantle the dictatorial regime, starting with the constitution and including the laws that limit media, limit parties and groups and the elections."

UPDATE 1-Tunisia to lift state of emergency next week

Fri Feb 4, 2011 6:35pm GMT http://af.reuters.com/article/tunisiaNews/idAFLDE71325420110204?feedType=RSS&feedName=tunisiaNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAfricaTunisiaNews+%28News+%2F+Africa+%2F+Tunisia+News%29&sp=true

TUNIS Feb 4 (Reuters) - Tunisia will next week lift a state of emergency that was imposed last month by ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali at the height of a popular revolt, Tourism Minister Mehdi Houass said on Friday.

"Next week will see the lifting of the state of emergency," Houass told reporters.

The state of emergency, alongside a curfew and a ban on public gatherings, were imposed by Ben Ali on Jan. 14, a few hours before he fled the country.

Authorities have since then reduced the curfew period as protests abated.

"We wanted to do this step by step out of caution and to ensure total security for people," Houass added.

Major street protests have dried up in Tunisia in recent days, after a reshuffle purged the interim government of most Ben Ali loyalists, but many Tunisians have called for more members of the old guard to be removed.

Tunisia's Interior Minister on Tuesday said some members of the security forces were in a conspiracy to undermine the state, after a wave of violence including the burning of a synagogue and an attack on the ministry itself. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Tunisians protest after two men die in police cellshttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tunisians-protest-after-two-men-die-in-police-cells/

2.4.11

TUNIS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Two people being held in a police station in a Tunisian provincial town died after the building caught fire, prompting a protest by local people, local witnesses and official media reported.

The incident happened in Sidi Bouzid, the town that was the starting point for a wave of unrest that forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country and inspired anti-government protests around the Arab world.

"After a fire broke out at a police station in Sidi Bouzid on Friday afternoon, two young men arrested for charges related to drunkenness were burned to death," Tunisia's official TAP news agency reported.

"An investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances of this incident," it said.

Local witnesses told Reuters a crowd of several hundred young people, angry about the deaths of the two prisoners, staged a demonstration in front of the police station.

A young unemployed man from Sidi Bouzid, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire in December in protest at his treatment by local officials. He later died. His act started a wave of unprecedented protests across the country.

Ben Ali, in power for 23 years, fled to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14 after several weeks of the protests -- over poverty, corruption and political repression -- that also saw violent clashes with police and dozens of people killed.

Public confidence in the police has been at a low since the protests, with many Tunisians blaming police officers for killing protesters and associating them with the ousted president.

Tunisian policemen arrested over links to fire deaths05 Feb 2011Source: reuters // Reutershttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tunisian-policemen-arrested-over-links-to-fire-deaths/

TUNIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Tunisian authorities have arrested two policemen over suspected links to the death on Friday of two civilians after a police station they were locked in caught fire, an Interior Ministry spokesman said on Saturday.

"Two policemen have been arrested at the police station on suspicion related to the incident that resulted in the death of two young men in a fire," the spokesman said, but did not elaborate.

The incident happened in Sidi Bouzid, the town that was the starting point for unrest that forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country and inspired anti-government protests around the Arab world.

The two victims had been arrested on alcohol related charges, the official media had said.

An unemployed man from Sidi Bouzid, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire in December to protest at his mistreatment by a policeman. He later died.

His act sparked the protests that toppled Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia in January after 23 years in power.

Tunisia's Government Suspends Former Ruling Party

February 07, 2011

 

http://www.rferl.org/content/tunisias_government_suspends_former_ruling_party/2299594.html

 

Tunisia's interior minister has suspended all activities of the country's former ruling party of deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

A statement carried by the official TAP news agency said Fahrat Rajhi also intended to seek the dissolution of the party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally.

TAP says the measure was taken because of the "extreme urgency" of the situation.

A caretaker government has been running the North African country since Ben Ali was forced into exile on January 14 after 23 years in power.

But tensions remain high, with protesters calling for the removal of old-regime officials.

The February 6 announcement came hours after crowds pillaged and burned a police station in the northwestern city of Kef a day after police shot and killed at least two demonstrators.

In the southern town of Kebili, one person died overnight after he was hit by a tear gas canister during clashes with security forces.

Tunisian man killed in clashes-police sourcehttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/06/tunisia-protests-kebili-idUSLDE7150GF20110206

Feb 6 (Reuters) - A young man died after being struck by a tear gas grenade during a protest in aTunisian provincial town, an Interior Ministry source said on Sunday.

The man was killed in clashes in the town of Kebili, 400 km (250 miles) south of the capital, which were sparked by local anger at the nomination of a new regional governor, the source said. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Writing by Christian Lowe)

One dead in fresh Tunisian anti-government unresthttp://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j7ngK-NHvjUYPE9rPs6Ni41VyEsg?docId=CNG.5951de4dd51162eb7b7760899d77c459.681

(AFP) – 3 days ago

TUNIS — Fresh anti-government protests erupted across Tunisia Sunday with one youth killed in clashes in the south of the country while a police headquarters was set ablaze and army troops deployed in the northwestern town of Kef.Three weeks after president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in a popular revolt that has reverberated across the Arab world, the country is still mired in turmoil, with protesters demanding the removal of old-regime officials and warning against any attempt to hijack their revolution.

In the southern town of Kebili, one youth died overnight after he was hit by a tear gas canister during clashes with security forces, the state news agency TAP reported.The agency said security forces intervened after a gang of youths tried to attack and set fire to a national guard post outside the town."A youth died after he was hit in the head by a tear gas canister and several people were injured and hospitalized," TAP added.It said the youths then attacked another national guard post in the town before marching to the governor's residence, prompting army troops to intervene.TAP also reported "sit-ins and protests outside the governor's office in Kebili Saturday to protest the appointment of a new governor.The army was also deployed in the northwestern town of Kef where four people were killed the day before and where protesters set a police station ablaze amid fresh clashes Sunday."There's panic in the town. The district's security forces building is on fire," said labour union activist Raouf Hadaoui by telephone.An interior ministry source said Sunday that two people were killed and 13 injured, including four policemen, in the Kef unrest, without giving further details.Hadaoui said several police cars had been torched and fires were threatening to spread from the police station to neighbouring homes."The army has been deployed all around the town and is trying to help the ambulance services," he added .Gangs of youths attacked and ransacked the police station before setting it on fire, he said. Hadaoui alleged they had been "paid by the (former ruling party) RCD to sow trouble."TAP said the demonstrators had taken documents and equipment from the police station before setting it on fire.Several hundred demonstrators had been calling for Kef police chief Khaled Ghazouani to be sacked for abuse of power, according to TAP.The situation degenerated on Saturday when Ghazouani slapped one of the protesters and the crowd tried to rush the police station and set it ablaze.Police opened fire, killing two demonstrators, aged 19 and 36, and seriously wounding three others, according to union sources.Two of those injured later died of their wounds, union activists and a local resident told AFP later Saturday.A union source said Ghazouni had subsequently been arrested and the situation was calm late Saturday.TAP meanwhile reported the arrests of two members of the security forces suspected over the deaths of two detainees in Sidi Bouzid, in the centre of the country.On Friday, several hundred people had demonstrated in front of the police station there after medical staff at the local hospital said they had found burn marks on the victims' bodies.In the ensuing unrest they had burned three police cars, a witnessed told AFP.Confirming the deaths, Interior Minister Farhat Rajhi said they might have been committed by supporters of the ousted Ben Ali regime.It was in Sidi Bouzid that a young man, Mohamed Bouazizi, died after setting himself on fire on December 17, triggering the uprising.

Tunisian president to get emergency powers(AFP) – 2 hours agohttp://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5juBHIGNP6tw4F6SZgHqEqUv_71IA?docId=CNG.f633c1f93ead7c4ea82895634cdfeeaf.481

TUNIS — Tunisia's parliament met Monday to vote emergency powers for the country's interim president after the government banned the ruling party of ousted leaders Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi told the 125 deputies present in 214-seat parliament that they had to approve the measure in order to bring peace to a country still mired in turmoil three weeks after Ben Ali was ousted in a popular revolt.

"Time is precious. Tunisia has real need of rule by decree to remove dangers," he said at the first parliamentary session since Ben Ali's overthrow.

"There are people who want Tunisia to go backwards but we must honour our martyrs who fought for liberty."

A vote on the new legislation will take place later Monday before the measure goes before the upper house of parliament, the Senate. If approved it will give interim leader Foued Mebazaa power to rule by decree and to sidestep parliament which had been dominated by the Constitutional Democratic Assembly (RCD), the party of Ben Ali which was suspended on Sunday.

The suspension was taken as a first step to dissolving the long-feared RCD, which had a monopoly on power under Ben Ali.

Prior to the vote hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside parliament demanding the dissolution of the assembly, known as the unpopular RDC's former power base.

The legislation still has to pass through parliament's upper house before becoming law.

Protestors storm Tunisian social affairs ministryEnglish.news.cn   2011-02-08 02:37:50     FeedbackPrintRSS

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-02/08/c_13722015.htm

TUNIS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of protestors stormed the Tunisian ministry of social affairs in the capital Tunis on Monday, reported the official press agency TAP.

The army managed to evacuate people working in the ministry to prevent clashes between them and the crowds of protestors, who were demanding emergency relief aid.

The ministry announced on Saturday the opening of a regional office tasked with the distribution of emergency aid.

It is not clear if there were any people injured in the incident.

Tunisia announces talks with unions

http://www.france24.com/en/20110209-tunisia-announces-talks-with-unions

2.9.11

AFP - Tunisia's interim president Foued Mebazaa on Wednesday announced that talks with unions would be held soon, after he was given wide powers to restore order following the ouster of ex-leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

"These social negotiations are the best framework for dialogue and consultation to resolve the social situation of all categories of people in all sectors," Mebazaa said on national television, marking his first direct address to the nation since taking power on January 15 -- the day after Ben Ali's ouster.

He called for "patience" on the part of Tunisians as the country remains mired by turmoil.

"Your demands are legitimate, but you must understand the difficult situation in which our country is confronted," Mebazaa said.

On Monday, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to give the interim government emergency powers following the suspension of Ben Ali's party.