Tunisia

TUNIS, March 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tunisian President Kais Saied has said he plans to restore diplomatic relations with Syria, more than a decade after they were broken off in protest of Damascus’s repression of political opponents.

“Nothing can justify the absence of a Tunisian ambassador in Damascus and an ambassador from Syria in Tunis,” Saied said during a sit-down with Tunisian foreign minister Nabil Ammar, according to a video released by the presidential office Friday night.

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s president has rejected accusations that he is stoking anti-Black racism, saying that he has sub-Saharan African friends and that his comments last month targeting migrants were misinterpreted by his enemies.

President Kais Saied drew international criticism and concern with those comments, in which he ordered a crackdown on sub-Saharan African migrants and lashed out at a perceived plot to erase Tunisia’s identity. The comments fanned racist abuse targeting Black people in Tunisia, and prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens.

8 Mar 2023; MEMO: Amnesty International called on the Tunisian authorities yesterday to stop using its "legal arsenal" against activists who "exercise their basic human rights, specifically their right to express their opinions freely and peacefully," Anadolu has reported.

"We are concerned about the use of the legal arsenal to silence critical voices, especially Decree No. 54 which represents a threat to freedom of expression and the right to privacy," said Amnesty.

7 Mar 2023; MEMO: The World Bank has said it is suspending future work with Tunisia after widespread reports of racist violence.

7 Mar 2023; MEMO: The African Union has postponed a conference that was scheduled to take place in Tunisia this month amid mounting criticism of a government crackdown on migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"The Pan-African Network Conference on Fighting Illicit Financial Flows in Africa that was scheduled to convene in Tunisia from 15-17 March 2023 has been postponed,'' a spokeswoman for the AU said in text messages to Anadolu on Tuesday.

TUNIS, March 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Around 300 nationals of Ivory Coast and Mali were flown home from Tunisia on Saturday, fearful of a wave of violence against sub-Saharan migrants since President Kais Saied delivered a controversial tirade against them last month.

In his Feb 21 speech, Saied ordered officials to take “urgent measures” to tackle irregular migration, claiming without evidence that “a criminal plot” was underway “to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup.”

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Thousands of people marched through Tunisia’s capital Saturday, decrying an expanding crackdown on opposition voices and a proposed lifting of subsidies for food and other goods.

The march organized by Tunisia’s powerful central trade union was the latest challenge to Tunisian President Kais Saied, whose leadership of the North African nation is prompting growing international concern.

27 Feb 2023; MEMO: Ennahda movement's Vice President Noureddine Bhiri has been transferred from prison to the hospital following the deterioration of his health, his wife said yesterday.

Commenting on the situation Ennahda added that "his condition is very critical".

25 Feb 2023; MEMO: France has expressed "its concern regarding the recent wave of arrests in Tunisia", calling on authorities to: "Ensure that individual liberties and civil liberties are respected, in particular the freedom of expression."

This was conveyed in a press statement by the French Foreign Ministry, which was posted by the French Embassy to Tunisia on its website.

24 Feb 2023; MEMO: A Tunisian lawyer said yesterday that security forces arrested the veteran leader of the National Salvation Front Izz Al-Din Al-Hazqi.

Dalila Mosaddeq, Al-Hazqi's daughter and lawyer, did not provide any details regarding the circumstances of his arrest.

The National Salvation Front is a coalition of political movements and parties that are opposed to President Kais Saied.