Tunisia: 600 arrested in anti-austerity protests
Wave of demonstrations sweeps the North African country
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested in Tunisia as a wave of violent demonstrations sweep across the country.
More than 600 anti-government protesters were detained by police on the instructions of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed following three nights of rioting. There are reports the army has also been deployed to protect government buildings.
The immediate cause of the unrest is a new economic policy which will raise the cost of basic goods in order to cut a ballooning deficit and satisfy international lenders.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The International Monetary Fund, which lent the country $2.9bn (£2.1bn) in 2015, told Tunisia last December it needed to take “urgent action” and “decisive measures” to reduce its deficit, the BBC reports.
However, as with the protests that broke out in Iran after Christmas, longer-term factors behind the demonstrations “include high levels of poverty and youth unemployment, particularly among graduates”, says The Guardian.
The paper says January protests have recurred in Tunisia since the death of street-seller Mohamed Bouazizi in 2011 provoked a nationwide wave of anger that led to the overthrow of authoritarian leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and kick-started the Arab Spring.
Since those heady days, and after authoritarian rule returned to many Arab countries, Tunisia has stood out as the one success story. But while it has been held up as a beacon of democracy in the Arab world, the past seven years have not been easy for the North African country.
It has had had nine different governments, economic productivity remains stubbornly low and unemployment has forced many young Tunisians abroad, fuelling the migrant crisis. It has also produced a disproportionate number of recruits for Islamic State.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Virtual prisons': how tech could let offenders serve time at home
Under The Radar New technology offers opportunities to address the jails crisis but does it 'miss the point'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week contest: Airport goodbyes
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'We shouldn't be surprised that crypto is back'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published