Egypt, Elsewedy review progress on Ain Sokhna phosphate complex    US employment cost index 3.6% up in year to June 2025    Egypt welcomes Canada, Malta's decision to recognise Palestinian state    Pakistan says successfully concluded 'landmark trade deal' with US    Sterling set for sharpest monthly drop since 2022    Egypt, Brazil sign deal to boost pharmaceutical cooperation    Modon Holding posts AED 2.1bn net profit in H1 2025    Egypt's Electricity Ministry says new power cable for Giza area operational    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Italian defence minister discuss Gaza, security cooperation    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, Nile dam with US senators    Aid airdrops intensify as famine deepens in Gaza amid mounting international criticism    Egypt exports first high-tech potato seeds to Uzbekistan after opening market    Health minister showcases AI's impact on healthcare at Huawei Cloud Summit    On anti-trafficking day, Egypt's PM calls fight a 'moral and humanitarian duty'    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Tunisian interior minister sacked as police clash with protesters in the capital
Published in Daily News Egypt on 12 - 01 - 2011

TUNIS: Tunisian interior minister Rafik Belhaj Kacem was sacked Wendesday as police and protesters clashed in the center of the capital Wednesday, bringing unrest to the government's doorstep after nearly a month of violent protests that pose the most serious challenge to the autocratic president's two decades of iron-fisted rule.
Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi said that most prisoners arrested during the riots are being freed. He said official Ahmed Friaa would replace Kacem.
Police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters at a main intersection, driving them to disperse into adjoining streets. Stores in the area were shuttered.
It was not immediately clear whether there were any injuries or arrests.
Two army vehicles were posted at the intersection, which is right by the French Embassy.
The fighting erupted hours after the interior minister was fired, a move that intensified a sense of uncertainty and questions about what's next for autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — questions that have never been openly posed during his time in power.
The protests over Tunisia's soaring unemployment and corruption erupted after a young man tried to kill himself. They spread as social networks like Facebook spread word of the unrest despite tight control of the media.
Police have repeatedly shot at demonstrators setting fire to buildings and stoning police. The government says 23 people have died but unions and witnesses put the toll at 46 or higher.
The upheaval has ravaged the nation's reputation as a stable and moderate Muslim nation and highlighted its inability to provide opportunities for its young.
It began in the center of the country, far from the Mediterranean beaches popular with European tourists, but riots were reported late Tuesday in the Ettadhamoun neighborhood five kilometers west of Tunis before spreading to the center of town.
"We are worried, in general, about the unrest and the instability, and what seems to be the underlying concerns of the people who are protesting," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview in Dubai with Al Arabiya television, according to a transcript provided by the State Department.
On Wednesday, Ghannouchi announced the creation of two inquiry commissions to probe "excesses committed during the troubles" and "the question of corruption and faults committed by certain officials," the statement said.
The president, who has previously announced major cabinet changes, made no public appearance Wednesday.
In a statement carried by the state news agency TAP, Ghannouchi did not give figures on how many people would be freed, but said the government would not be releasing protesters whose guilt has been proven.
Kacem kept his job in a government reshuffle last month, but pressure on Tunisia's leadership has mounted as the protests took an especially violent turn.
"It seems to be a combination of economic and political demonstrations, and the government's reaction, which has been unfortunately leading to the deaths of some of the protestors. So we are not taking sides in it, we just hope there can be a peaceful resolution of it," Clinton said.
The prime minister's reference to excesses may have referred to the handling of rioters in certain towns. The majority of the dead were counted in three days of unrest, from Saturday to Monday, in the central town of Kasserine.
The statement also said the two houses of parliament would be called to an extraordinary session Thursday for an "open debate" on measures announced Monday by Ben Ali that include a promise to create 300,000 jobs over two years, particularly meant to benefit university graduates.
The 74-year-old Ben Ali, a former interior minister himself, grabbed power 23 years ago in a bloodless coup. Human rights groups in Tunisia and abroad have long criticized the lack of freedoms.
According to Ghannouchi, the president has stressed his wish to place at the forefront "dialogue and peaceful freedom of expression and association and for all parties to be involved in treating the questions of the nation."


Clic here to read the story from its source.