Tunisia

Tunisian union warns of public sector strike over reforms

TUNIS, March 30 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful labour union warned on Wednesday public sector workers could strike to oppose economic reforms the government has proposed to try to secure an International Monetary…

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World Bank approves $400 million for Tunisia to help vulnerable households

TUNIS, (Reuters) - The World Bank said it approved $400 million for Tunisia to help about 900,000 vulnerable Tunisian households cope with the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. It…

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Tunisia says it has dismantled 150 militant cells in past 6 months

TUNIS, March 26 (Reuters) - Tunisian police forces have dismantled about 150 militant cells in the past six months, a spokesman for the National Guard said on Saturday. He added that some…

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Photo Story: Italian cruise ship first to dock in Tunisia since 2019

The Spirit of Discovery cruise ship arrives at La Goulette port in Tunis, Tunisia, 23 March 2022. The Italian cruise ship, with 724 tourists on board, is the first to…

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Two trains collided in Tunisian capital, 65 injured

TUNIS, March 21 (Reuters) - At least 65 people were injured in a collision between two trains in the Tunisian capital, officials said on Monday. They said dozens of passengers were taken…

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UPDATED: Tunisian president offers dialogue, but without giving details

TUNIS, March 21 (Reuters) - Tunisia's president said on Monday there would be a national dialogue about the country's political system as he moves to rewrite the constitution after establishing one-man rule,…

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Death toll from migrant shipwreck off Tunisia rises to 25, fears of 35 others drowned

TUNIS, March 21 (Reuters) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the death toll from a migrant shipwreck off Tunisia at the weekend rose to 25, amid fears that 35 others…

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Photo Story: Anti-government protests in Tunisia

Demonstrators hold Tunisian national flags during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers, during the 66th anniversary of Tunisia's independence in Tunis, Tunisia, 20 March 2022.…

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Death toll from migrant shipwreck off Tunisia rises to 17

TUNIS (Reuters) - The death toll from a migrant shipwreck off Tunisia on Friday has risen to 17 people, most of them Syrians, as they tried to cross the Mediterranean…

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Tunisia’s labour union demands dialogue, changes to reform proposals

TUNIS, March 17 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful UGTT labour union will not remain silent if authorities do not include it in a dialogue over the country's political and economic future, its deputy…

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Tunisia’s labour union says it opposes painful economic reforms

TUNIS, March 16 (Reuters) - The head of Tunisia's powerful UGTT labour union on Wednesday said it opposed "painful" reforms wanted by lenders as the government seeks an international rescue package to avert…

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Tunisian military judge imprisons opponent of president

Tunisian military judge ordered on Wednesday the imprisonment of Abd Errazak Kilani, a lawyer and prominent opponent of President Kais Saied, who seized almost all powers in July, for inciting…

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Tunisia’s Saied to bar foreign funding for civil society

Tunisia's President Kais Saied announced he will outlaw foreign funding for civil society organisations as he tries to remake the country's politics after establishing one-man rule. Civil society organisations, including…

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Tunisia to raise electricity and fuel prices

TUNIS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Tunisia plans to lower electricity and fuel subsidies to reduce a budget deficit driven by high oil prices, Tunisian Industry and Energy Minister Naila Nouira told newspaper…

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Tunisair to lay off about 1,000 employees

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisair plans to lay off about 1,000 of its employees during two or three years starting in 2022, its chief executive said, as part of plans to…

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Tunisian police close Supreme Judicial Council offices

TUNIS, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Tunisian police have locked the doors of the Supreme Judicial Council, its head told Reuters on Monday, a day after President Kais Saied dissolved it,…

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UPDATED: Tunisian judiciary head says president’s move illegal and judges won’t be silent

TUNIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Tunisian Supreme Judicial Council head Youssef Bouzakher said on Sunday the president's decision to dissolve the body was illegal and an effort to put the…

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UPDATED: Tunisia’s finance minister says the state is not at risk of bankruptcy

TUNIS, (Reuters) - The Tunisian state is not at risk of bankruptcy and it is paying its loans to lenders, the finance minister said on Wednesday. "There are many exaggerations..…

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Tunisian opposition leader warns of social explosion

The speaker of Tunisia's suspended parliament, who also heads the main opposition party, warned on Thursday of a social situation that "threatens to explode" six months after what he calls…

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Tunisia thwarts alleged terrorist attack targeting tourist areas

Tunisian police thwarted an attack planned by a woman coming from Syria, where she received training "with terrorist groups," targeting tourist areas in the country, the interior ministry said. It…

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Tunisia to cut subsidies, raise taxes and freeze pay in 2022

Tunisia's government plans to increase fuel and electricity prices, freeze public sector pay and impose new taxes next year in moves that could anger the powerful labour union, a budget…

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Tunisia president announces referendum and elections

Tunisia will hold a referendum on constitutional reform on July 25 and new parliamentary elections on Dec. 17, 2022, President Kais Saied said on Monday. Changes to the constitution would follow a public online consultation…

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Tunisia’s union calls for early elections, says democratic gains are threatened

TUNIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful UGTT union called for early elections on Saturday, saying it was concerned for the country's democratic gains because of the president's reluctance to…

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Tunisia navy rescues 487 migrants from overloaded boat

TUNIS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The Tunisian navy rescued 487 migrants on Friday from an overloaded boat that ran into difficulty in rough seas in the Mediterranean as they tried…

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Tunisian protesters try to march on suspended parliament

TUNIS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Tunisian police clashed with protesters near the chamber of the suspended parliament on Sunday as demonstrators marched against President Kais Saied's seizure of political power…

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Powerful Tunisian union rejects cutting subsidies – key reform asked by lenders

TUNIS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful UGTT union on Wednesday rejected any plans to cut subsidies, a stance against reform that will complicate the government's efforts to reach a…

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Tunisia finds tunnel near French envoy’s residence

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia has discovered a tunnel near the French ambassador’s residence from a house frequented by a known extremist, and anti-terrorism forces are investigating, the Tunisian Interior Ministry…

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Tunisia closes TV, radio stations critical of president

TUNIS, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Tunisia's independent media regulator HAICA said on Wednesday it had closed a television station, Nesma TV, owned by the Heart of Tunisia party leader Nabil…

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Tunisia imposes COVID-19 vaccine pass on Tunisians and all foreign visitors

Tunisia is imposing COVID-19 vaccine passes on Tunisians and all foreign visitors, a presidential decree showed. Officials, employees and users are required to show a card proving inoculation against the…

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EU urges Tunisia’s president to reopen parliament

The European Union called on Tunisia's President Kais Saied to restore the democratic order in his country after he suspended parliament and seized near total control in July. "The parliament…

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Tunisian lawmaker detained over suspected tax fraud, money laundering

TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian court on Sunday ordered a lawmaker to be detained over suspected tax fraud and money laundering - the fourth parliamentarian to be taken into custody…

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Tunisia’s new government faces hard road to rescue package

Tunisia's new government said this week that balancing public finances will be a priority, but it and President Kais Saied face a hard road to convince markets and foreign donors…

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Tunisian PM says economic reform is government priority

Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden said that fixing public finances and implementing economic reforms will be a priority - the first sign of the government's intention to launch reforms demanded…

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Tunisian prime minister names new government

TUNIS, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Tunisia named a new government on Monday, 11 weeks after President Kais Saied ousted the prime minister and suspended parliament to assume near total control…

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Thousands rally for Tunisian president, urging change to political system

Thousands of supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied rallied in the capital on Sunday to back his suspension of parliament and promises to change the political system, acts his critics…

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Tunisia arrests lawmaker and TV presenter who called president a traitor

Tunisian police on Sunday arrested a member of parliament and a television presenter who have been prominent critics of President Kais Saied since his seizure of power in July, their…

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Tunisia’s Saied tells France’s Macron a national dialogue will take place soon

Tunisian President Kais Saied told French President Emmanuel Macron that a national dialogue would take place soon, Macron's office revealed after they spoke by phone. Saied's mention of a dialogue…

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Tunisia’s first woman prime minister raises spirits despite power grab

TUNIS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Nurse Amina Ben Hammou beamed with pride when President Kais Saied named Najla Bouden Romdhane as Tunisia's first woman prime minister on Wednesday. "I am…

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Tunisia to have first female Prime Minister

Tunisian President Kais Saied named Najla Bouden Romdhane, a little-known university engineer with World Bank experience, as prime minister on Wednesday nearly two months after he seized most powers in…

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Tunisians protest against president’s power grab as opposition deepens

TUNIS (Reuters) - Several hundred demonstrators gathered in Tunis on Sunday under a heavy police presence to protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers in July and…

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More than 100 officials from Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda Party resign amid crisis

More than 100 prominent officials of Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda party, including lawmakers and former ministers, resigned on Saturday in protest at the leadership's performance, the biggest blow yet to the…

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Opposition to Tunisian president’s power seizure deepens

TUNIS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Four Tunisian parties said on Thursday that President Kais Saied had lost his legitimacy and called for an end to what they called a coup…

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Tunisian president moves to cement one-man rule

Tunisian President Kais Saied declared he will rule by decree and ignore parts of the constitution as he prepares to change the political system, prompting immediate opposition from rivals. Saied…

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Tunisian democracy now in the hands of its solemn president

TUNIS (Reuters) - Described by those who know him as set in his opinions and trusting of only a tight circle, a former constitutional law professor now holds the future…

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Tunisians protest over president’s seizure of powers

TUNIS (Reuters) - Several hundred demonstrators gathered in Tunis on Saturday to protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers in July, which triggered a constitutional crisis and…

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Tunisian president says border with Libya to reopen on Friday

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied ordered the border with Libya, which had been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, to reopen on Friday after meetings between health teams from the two…

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Tunisian president rejects dialogue with ‘traitors’

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied said he would not do deals with those he described as “traitors”, an apparent reference to the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, the biggest in the suspended…

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Tunisian president plans to change political system, suspend constitution

Tunisian President Kais Saied plans to suspend the constitution and may amend the political system via a referendum, one of his advisers told Reuters in the first clear indication of…

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Libyan interim PM says to visit Tunisia on Thursday amid tension

Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh said he would visit Tunisia on Thursday and meet President Kais Saied after weeks of friction between the North African neighbours over security. Neither…

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Algerian court detains Tunisian ex-presidential candidate Karoui

An Algerian court on Saturday ordered former Tunisian presidential candidate Nabil Karoui to be placed in custody on a charge of illegally crossing a border, a judicial source said. The…

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Algeria arrest Tunisia’s former presidential candidate Nabil Karoui

Algerian authorities arrested on Sunday Tunisia's media mogul and former presidential candidate Nabil Karoui, after he entered Algeria secretly and illegally, Tunisian media said. Karoui, the owner of the Nessma…

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Tunisia banned 50 officials, politicians from travel in past month – Amnesty International

Tunisia has stopped at least 50 officials, politicians and businessmen from travelling abroad since the president seized governing powers last month, Amnesty International said. "President Kais Saied has made widespread…

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Saudi Arabia pledges to provide support for Tunisia, Tunisian presidency says

Saudi Arabia pledged to provide assistance to Tunisia, which is suffering a political, economic and health crisis, the Tunisian presidency said on Sunday, the latest sign of support for President…

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Former head of Tunisia’s Anti-Corruption Committee says he is under house arrest

TUNIS (Reuters) - The former head of Tunisia's Anti-Corruption Committee has been placed under house arrest, he said on Facebook on Friday, hours after security forces took control of the…

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Libya reopens borders with Tunisia

The Government of National Unity (GNU) in Libya has reopened all land and air crossings with Tunisia, while fully adhering to the precautionary measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic, it…

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Tunisia relaxes curfew as virus outbreak slows

Tunisia will relax its nightly curfew and cafes and restaurants will be allowed to remain open until 10 p.m, as part of an easing of anti-COVID restrictions, the Tunisian presidency…

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North Africa Fires Spread to Libya and Tunisia

As unusually hot weather persists over parts of Northern Africa, new forest fires reportedly have broken out in Tunisia and Libya during the past 24 hours, in addition to many…

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