Tunisia

Tunisia says ‘assault’ on Gaza aid ship was ‘orchestrated’

Tunisia said the "assault" on a ship at Sidi Bou Said port was "orchestrated," after the Global Sumud Flotilla, preparing to deliver aid to Gaza, reported one of its boats…

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Flotilla for Gaza reports second drone attack on boat at Tunisian port

The Global Sumud Flotilla, an international aid initiative to deliver vital supplies to Gaza, said on Wednesday that one of its boats was attacked by a drone at a Tunisian…

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Tunisia denies claims Greta Thunberg’s Gaza flotilla was hit by drone

Tunisian authorities have denied claims that one of the Gaza-bound vessels carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists including Greta Thunberg was attacked by a drone. The organisers of the flotilla, Global…

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Tunisia sentences opposition leader Ghannouchi, others

Tunisia sentenced several top politicians and officials including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to jail on Tuesday. A court sentenced a total of 21 people to 12 to 35 years in…

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Tunisian court hands prison sentences of up to 66 years in mass trial of regime opponents

A Tunisian court has handed down prison sentences of 13 to 66 years to politicians, businessmen and lawyers in a mass trial that opponents say is fabricated and a symbol…

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Tunisia’s Saied moves toward landslide win in election

Supporters of current Tunisian President Kais Saied began celebrations in the capital on Sunday night after an exit poll broadcast on state television showed him winning, beating two rivals, one…

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Tunisian Opposition and Migrants’ Advocates Seek ICC Investigation Over Crackdown and Migrant Abuse

Lawyers and families of jailed Tunisian opposition leaders have appealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an investigation into the Tunisian government's crackdown on political dissent and the…

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Tunisian president sacks prime minister

Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani and appointed Social Affairs Minister Kamel Maddouri as his replacement, the Tunisian presidency said in a statement late on Wednesday. Hachani…

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Tunisian court jails four presidential candidates and bars them from elections

A Tunisian court sentenced four potential presidential election candidates to eight months in prison and banned them from running for office on a charge of vote buying, politicians and a…

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Tunisian presidential candidates complain of restrictions and intimidation

Tunisian opposition parties, presidential candidates and human rights groups have accused the authorities of using "arbitrary restrictions" and intimidation in order to ensure the re-election of President Kais Saied in…

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UPDATED: UN rights chief says investigating mass grave on Libya-Tunisia border

The U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday that his office was following up on reports of a mass grave in the desert along the Libya-Tunisia border, after the bodies…

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Tunisian president sets election date for Oct. 6

Tunisian President Kais Saied set the presidential election date for Oct. 6 and is widely expected to seek a second term, with at least one potential candidate in jail and…

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EU to provide $178 mln for Tunisian security forces to curb migration

(Reuters) - The European Union plans to provide up to 164.5 million euros ($177.74 million) over three years to Tunisian security forces, the Financial Times reported. Brussels pledged 105 million…

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Tunisia-Libya border crossing remains closed

Tunisia and Libya have kept a major border crossing at Ras Jdir closed due to armed clashes Libya's interior ministry said in a statement this week that "outlaws" had attacked…

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Tunisia court sentences ex-president Marzouki to 8 years in absentia

By Tarek Amara TUNIS, (Reuters) - A Tunisian court sentenced former President Moncef Marzouki to eight years in prison in absentia on charges of assaulting the state security and inciting…

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Italy arrests 12 people over speed boat migrant trips from Tunisia

ROME, (Reuters) - Italian police said they had arrested 12 suspected human traffickers for allegedly organising high-speed transfers for at least 73 illegal migrants from Tunisia to Europe. Expert pilots…

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Tunisia opposition leader Ghannouchi begins hunger strike in prison

Imprisoned Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi went on hunger strike on Monday in solidarity with other anti-government figures waging a protest fast to demand their immediate release, a team of…

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Record number of migrants died or went missing off Tunisia in 2023

A record 1,313 migrants were reported to have died or went missing off the Tunisian coast last year, a rights group said, highlighting the worsening migrant crisis in the North…

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Seventeen Tunisians on migrant boat towards Italy missing

TUNIS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - At least seventeen Tunisians who were on a migrant boat heading towards the Italian coast are missing, a Tunisian national guard official said on Monday.…

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Italy urges Libya, Tunisia to establish control room for immigrants’ voluntary return

The Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stressed the need to take measures to implement and strengthen voluntary returns of illegal immigrants to their countries of origin with the help of…

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Tunisia arrests business owner on suspicion of stealing from state companies

By Tarek Amara TUNIS, (Reuters) - A Tunisian public prosecutor ordered the arrest of one of the country's richest business owners, Marouan Mabrouk, son-in-law of former president Zine El Abidine…

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Tunisia brush-off augurs badly for EU push for African migration deals

By Gabriela Baczynska and Tarek Amara BRUSSELS/TUNIS, (Reuters) - When Tunisian President Kais Saied this month rejected 60 million euros ($63 million) in EU aid, the bloc got a taste…

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Tunisian parliament committee proposes bill criminalizing normalization with Israel

TUNIS, (Reuters) - The Freedoms Committee in the Tunisian Parliament approved a draft law criminalizing the normalization of relations with Israel, amid ongoing protests in solidarity with Palestinians in the…

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Italy signs deal to take in migrant workers from Tunisia

ROME, (Reuters) - Italy signed a deal to take in some 4,000 workers from Tunisia, in line with pledges to help the northern African state stem the pressure from migrants…

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Tunisia’s foreign debt will rise by 40% in 2024 to $3.9 billion

TUNIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Tunisia will pay 12.3 billion dinars ) $3.9 billion (of foreign debts in 2024, an increase of 40% compared with 2023, an official document showed…

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Tunisia rejects EU financial aid, casting doubt on an immigration deal

Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday rejected financial support announced by the European Union in September, saying the amount is small and goes against a deal signed three months ago. Saied's move…

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Won’t be border guards for other countries says Tunisia

Tunisia said it would not be the border guards for other countries amid a surge in flows to Italy. "Tunisia cannot under any circumstances act as a border guard for…

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Tunisia extends drinking water quota system, ban on agriculture use

TUNIS, (Reuters) - Tunisia has extended the quota system for drinking water and a ban of use in agriculture until further notice, the agriculture ministry said, in response to a…

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EU to disburse $135 million to Tunisia as part of migration pact

BRUSSELS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Friday said it would disburse 127 million euros ($135 million) in aid to Tunisia as part of its deal with the…

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Tunisia detains cartoonist over drawings mocking prime minister

By Tarek Amara TUNIS, (Reuters) - Tunisia's public prosecutor detained the cartoonist Tawfiq Omrane over drawings mocking the prime minister, Omrane's lawyer said, fuelling concern among free speech advocates. Omrane…

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Tunisia intercepts 2,500 migrants, arrests dozens of smugglers in 4 days

By Tarek Amara TUNIS, (Reuters) - The Tunisian coastguard said it had intercepted more than 2,500 migrants and arrested dozens of human smugglers following a major crackdown launched last weekend…

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Tunisia hit by rare nationwide power blackout

TUNIS, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Electricity supplies were cut across Tunisia for two hours on Wednesday but the reason for the rare nationwide outage was unclear, residents and the state…

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Tunisia arrests migrants, seizes boats in major people-smuggling crackdown

By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police supported by planes and anti-terrorism units arrested hundreds of migrants and seized boats in a major crackdown on people smuggling in the…

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Four dead, 21 rescued after migrant ship sinks off Tunisia

TUNIS, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Three children and one woman died and 21 people were rescued after their migrant ship sank off the Tunisian city of Sfax, Faouzi Masmoudi, a…

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Tunisia’s bad economy hits coeliac sufferers with rice shortage

By Latifa Guesmi and Jihed Abidellaoui TUNIS, (Reuters) - For Siwar Derbeli a national rice shortage is not just another inconvenient symptom of Tunisia's stretched national finances but a source…

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Tunisia places senior official in main opposition party under house arrest

TUNIS, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Tunisian authorities placed Abdel Karim Harouni, the senior official in the opposition Ennahda Islamist Party, under house arrest, the country's main opposition coalition said. Harouni…

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Tunisia yet to receive EU funds to stem migration

Tunisia hasn’t received EU funding yet to stop migrants coming to Europe, the chief negotiator of the controversial deal between Brussels and Tunis told EU lawmakers. It’s too soon to…

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Four dead, 51 missing after migrant ship sinks off Tunisian coast

TUNIS, Aug 7 (Reuters) - At least four migrants died and 51 were missing after a migrant ship sank off Tunisia's Kerkennah island, a judicial official told Reuters, adding that…

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Tunisian president names Ahmed Hachani as prime minister, replacing Bouden

TUNIS, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied appointed Ahmed Hachani as new prime minister, replacing Najla Bouden, who ended her duties, the Tunisian presidency said early on Wednesday.…

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Tunisia recovers 901 bodies of drowned migrants off its coast this year

By Tarek Amara TUNIS, (Reuters) - The Tunisian coast guard recovered 901 bodies of drowned migrants off its coast from Jan. 1 to July 20 this year, the country's interior…

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Tunisia migration deal a model for others, EU’s von der Leyen says

The European Union's pact with Tunisia can serve as a model for other countries, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday, as the EU struggles to stem unauthorised flows of migrants…

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Tunisia vows not to become ‘reception center’ for returning migrants

Tunisia has said it will not be a “reception centre” for returns of sub-Saharan migrants from Italy or any other country in Europe despite a groundbreaking €1bn deal signed on…

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EU may still loan Tunisia $1 bln if it secures IMF support

BRUSSELS, July 17 (Reuters) - The European Union could still lend Tunisia's battered economy 900 million euros ($1.0 billion), an EU official said on Monday, but further talks will be…

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Tunisia and EU sign pact to stem migration

By Tarek Amara TUNIS, (Reuters) - Tunisia and the European Union signed on Sunday a "strategic partnership" deal that includes combatting human traffickers and tightening borders during a sharp increase…

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Meloni to return to Tunis with von der Leyen, Rutte on Sunday

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni is to return to Tunis on Sunday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to sign a Memorandum of…

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Tunisia’s ‘Minister of Happiness’ chases her dream

By Latifa Guesmi TUNIS, July 14 (Reuters) - Ons Jabeur is carrying the hopes of her country and her continent at Wimbledon as she bids to become the first African…

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Tunisia moves hundreds of migrants from desolate border area

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia has moved hundreds of migrants to shelters in two towns, a local rights group said, after criticism of conditions in a desolate Sahara military area on…

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Tunisian killed in clashes with migrants after days of tension in coastal city

TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian man was killed in clashes between residents and sub-Saharan African migrants in the southern city of Sfax, a judicial official said on Tuesday, following days…

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Tunisia’s efforts to stave off bankruptcy

TUNIS, June 29 (Reuters) - Tunisia faces a full-blown crisis in public finances that could destabilise the country with knock-on effects around the central Mediterranean region. European countries offered about…

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UPDATED: Tunisia is working with IMF on ‘fair’ economic reform programme-cbank governor

TUNIS, June 23 (Reuters) - Tunisia is working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a "fair" economic reform programme that takes account of vulnerable groups, the central bank governor…

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Two dead, 30 injured in train accident in Tunisia -Radio Tunisienne

(Reuters) - A train accident in Tunisia has left two people dead and 30 others injured, state radio reported on Wednesday. The accident took place late on Tuesday, when a…

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Photo Story: Man stabs police officer outside Brazilian embassy in Tunis

TUNIS, June 19 (Reuters) - A man stabbed a policeman on duty outside the Brazilian embassy in Tunis on Monday before police shot the attacker in the leg and arrested…

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Tunisia tourist revival a rare bright spot for crisis-hit economy

Government official forecasts strong summer Arrivals seen at 90% of pre-pandemic levels Small boost for economy in crisis By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia is set for a strong…

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UPDATED: EU considering major Tunisia aid package as migration surges

TUNIS, June 11 (Reuters) - The European Union is considering over 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) in aid for Tunisia to help develop its battered economy, rescue state finances and…

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President says Tunisia won’t become Europe’s border guard

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Saturday that Tunisia would not accept becoming a border guard for other countries ahead of a planned visit by European leaders…

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Italy, Netherlands and EU leaders to visit Tunisia hoping for IMF deal

By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) - The prime ministers of Italy and the Netherlands will travel at the weekend to Tunisia along with the European Commission president, looking to make…

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Tunisia’s foreign reserves fall to lowest level in four years

By Tarek Amara TUNIS, June 8 (Reuters) - Tunisia's foreign currency reserves have dropped to levels worth just 91 days of imports, their lowest in four years, central bank figures showed on…

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