State of emergency extended in Tunisia by 6 months

Tunisian President Kais Saied announced an extension to the state of emergency in the country by six months starting from Saturday. (File/AFP)

• A state of emergency has been in effect in Tunisia since a suicide attack on a police bus in November 2015
• Successive governments since the uprising of 2011 have failed to resolve stubbornly high inflation and unemployment

LONDON: Tunisian President Kais Saied announced an extension to the state of emergency in the country by six months starting from Saturday. 
A state of emergency has been in effect in Tunisia since a suicide attack on a police bus in November 2015. It has been extended a number of times.
On Thursday, hundreds of Tunisians protested in at least seven cities to demand jobs, which has heaped pressure on a government facing the worse economic crisis in more than 60 years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even before the outbreak hammered Tunisia’s tourism sector, which accounts for nearly 10% of gross domestic product, successive governments since the uprising of 2011 have failed to resolve stubbornly high inflation and unemployment that has bred discontent, especially among young people.