Tunisian security forces fired tear gas at protesters in the western city of Kasserine following the death of a journalist who had set himself on fire over harsh living conditions in the country.
Tensions rose in the center of the city of Kasserine Monday night, after dozens of protesters burnt tires, and blocked the road in al-Nour neighborhood, and Habib Bourguiba main street. The police responded with tear gas, according to an Agence-France Presse (AFP) correspondent.
Interior ministry spokesperson Sofiane al-Zaq said Tuesday that six members of the security forces were injured and nine protesters were detained.
Journalist Abdul Razaq Zorgi, 32, died late Monday after he set himself on fire and his death sparked protests in the city and clashes overnight with police. After the clashes, the area prevailed in the morning.
“For the sons of Kasserine who have no means of subsistence, today I start a revolution. I am going to set myself on fire,” Zorgi said in a video published before his death.
“The children of Kasserine are unemployed, who have no livelihood, and have nothing to eat.”
Kasserine was one of the first cities to rise up after the vendor's death in 2010, in protests that saw police kill demonstrators. The unrest quickly spread across the country and led to the overthrow of then-president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
National Union of Tunisian Journalists confirmed his death, saying that Zorgi died protesting “difficult social conditions... and a lack of hope.”
The Union hinted that it was considering organizing a general strike in the media sector.
Despite the country's democratic transition after Ben Ali's ouster and a recent return to economic growth, authorities are still struggling to improve poor living conditions.
Inflation fueled by the devaluation of the Tunisian dinar and persistent unemployment, which remains over 15 percent, sparked protests across the country last January.
The incident was reminiscent of the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouaziz eight years ago, which sparked revolutions around the Arab World.
A number of local political observers considered that the democratic transition in Tunisia was widely praised and recognized a qualitative leap. But many Tunisians are frustrated by the difficult economic situation and the exacerbating unemployment eight years after the 2011 uprising.
