Tunisia imposes nationwide curfew amid spreading unrest

KASSARINE, Tunisia

REUTERS photo

Tunisia imposed a nationwide overnight curfew on Jan. 22 in response to growing unrest over unemployment as protests across the country descended into vandalism in several cities.

The curfew from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. would begin on Jan. 22 because the attacks on public and private property “represent a danger to the country and its citizens,” the Interior Ministry said, according to the Associated Press. 

The previous night, police stations came under attack and security officers used tear gas to repel protesters armed with stones and Molotov cocktails.

In housing projects on the outskirts of the capital, Tunis, roving groups of young people pillaged a bank and looted stores and warehouses.

Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid was cutting short a visit to France to deal with the protests, which were triggered on Jan. 17 when a young man who lost out on a government job climbed a transmission tower in protest and was electrocuted. Tunisia’s unemployment stands around 15 percent, but is 30 percent among young people.

“Are we not Tunisians too? It’s been four years I’ve been struggling. We’re not asking for much, but we’re fighting for our youth. We struggled so much for them,” said Leila Omri, the mother of an unemployed graduate in Kesserine.