Thousands of people rallied in Tunis on Saturday in response to a call from the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) to protest against the worsening social and economic situation.
The country experiences high inflation (around 8% annually) © Mena Today
Thousands of people rallied in Tunis on Saturday in response to a call from the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) to protest against the worsening social and economic situation.
The Tunisian economy has been stagnant, with only 0.4% growth in 2023 and an unemployment rate reaching 16.4% at the end of last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics. Unemployment was at 15.2% at the end of 2022.
The country has also been shaken by political tensions since President Kais Saied seized full powers in July 2021.
Facing a severe financial crisis, Tunisia reached an agreement with the IMF for a $2 billion loan in October 2022. However, negotiations stalled when the president rejected the IMF's recommended reforms.
While the Tunisian government prioritizes debt repayment (amounting to 80% of GDP), it lacks liquidity to provide its population with sufficient basic goods, leading to recurrent shortages of flour, sugar, or rice.
The country experiences high inflation (around 8% annually) fueled by rising cereal and energy prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Tunisia's prime minister urged European countries on Wednesday to increase financial assistance to his country and others to help tackle the flow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
Egypt will halt load-shedding power cuts during the summer as of Sunday, after some natural gas shipments arrived, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Wednesday, in a bid to end a crisis that inconvenienced a population of 106 million.
More than 10 million Sudanese, or 20% of the population, have been driven from their homes since the war there began, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday, as the world's largest displacement crisis continues to worsen.
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