Demonstrators have set fire to a police facility in Beni Khedache to protest the death of dozens of migrants in a shipwreck near Kerkennah Islands.
The Associations Forum of Beni Khedache said following the incident that some parties wanted to take the protests out of their context. However, calm was restored to Beni Khedache on Thursday morning and a peaceful march, which was scheduled to be held in the city center, was postponed.
Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed on Wednesday fired Interior Minister Lotfi Brahem, who the PM’s office said will be replaced temporarily by Justice Minister Ghazi Jribi.
Earlier on Wednesday Brahem accused officials of negligence over the shipwreck, announcing the sacking of 10 people.
Among those fired were national guard officials based in Sfax and others from the maritime unit in Kerkennah.
The death toll of Sunday’s tragedy has risen to at least 74, with dozens still missing.
Tunisia witnessed in October similar protests in several states, following the sinking of a boat in Kerkennah Islands, leading to the drowning of 46 illegal migrants who were trying to reach Italy.
Khalifa Chibani, an interior ministry spokesman, said smugglers have benefited from a "security vacuum" in the area.
Since the start of the year, nearly 6,000 migrants have been identified trying to cross from Tunisia to Europe, 2,064 from Kerkennah, he added.
Chibani said the number of police was considerably reduced following social unrest in 2016, in which security facilities were set on fire by demonstrators.
The protests were part of a months-long labor dispute with British energy firm Petrofac, the area's main employer.
Migrants departing from the islands are mostly let go if they are stopped and questioned by authorities, a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “They know that if they are arrested in the Sfax or Kerkennah area, they will quickly be released,” the official lamented.
