Clashes leave five dead in Tunisia
Fighting broke out in Metlaoui
Clashes between tribal factions have left five dead and 90 more injured in southwest Tunisia.
Clashes erupted in the mining town of Metlaoui on 3 June after rumours spread about a change in the recruitment policies of the area’s main employer. The region suffers from severe unemployment.
People opened fire with rifles and hurled firebombs, according to a report by Tunisia’s TAP news agency. A curfew has now been declared.
Unemployment levels and the lack of job opportunities fuelled the countrywide protests earlier that caused former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali to flee Tunisia to flee the country on 14 January (MEED 17:1:11).
Share
