Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The government is seeking to calm days of unrest

The Tunisian government has announced a wave of social reforms, reacting to days of demonstrations by anti-austerity protesters.

There were fresh protests on Sunday, the seventh anniversary of the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Emergency government meetings have been held in response to the protests, which have seen more than 800 arrests.

President Beji Caid Essebsi visited a district of Tunis on Sunday, saying he understood the people's suffering.

Protesters have taken to the streets again following calls from opposition parties.

They argue conditions have not improved since Ben Ali was deposed as president at the start of the so-called Arab Spring uprisings.

When did the protests begin and what caused them?

Demonstrations began on 7 January after the government raised value-added tax and social contributions, and increased some prices on goods in its 2018 budget.

Rallies have taken place in at least 10 different areas.

On Sunday, hundreds of people poured into one of the flashpoints of the 2011 uprising, Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Some anti-austerity protests have turned violent in recent days

Demonstrators also rallied outside the offices of the UGTT union, demanding the budget be abandoned and venting anger at price rises.

Last week saw a wave of protests, some of which turned violent after dark.

The government accused demonstrators of setting fire to police cars and attacking officials. Some people tried to take over shopping malls and stores, while others blocked roads.

In the town of Thala, near the Algerian border, the army was called in on Wednesday after protesters burned down the national security offices and police were forced to retreat.

Interior ministry spokesman Khlifa Chibani said on Saturday that 803 people had been arrested so far on suspicion of violence, theft and looting.

He said 97 members of the security forces had been injured, but did not say how many protesters had been hurt.

Demonstrators accused police of a violent crackdown.

What are the reforms being promised?

The announcement came after two hours of crisis talks at the presidential palace that included President Essebsi, political parties and trade unionists.

Image copyright AFP/GETTY Image caption Political parties, unions and employers met on Saturday for crisis talks amid protests

Officials said plans had been submitted to parliament to reform medical care, housing and increase aid to the poor.

Social affairs minister Mohammed Trabelsi said the government proposed increasing welfare payments to those in need by 170m dinars ($70m; £50m).

"This will affect about 250,000 families. It will help the poor and middle class," he said.

Mr Trabelsi also alluded to plans for guaranteed medical care and housing reform.

What did Mr Essebsi say on Sunday?

He visited the marginalised Tunis district of Ettdhamon, opening a youth centre there.

In a short and informal speech, he promised to address youth unemployment and highlighted the government's move to help poorer families, saying: "We feel for you, these are our families."

But he also said: "Be modest, your country does not have a lot of means."

What is Tunisia's economic situation?

Tunisia has been struggling economically since Ben Ali was ousted after more than 20 years in power.

That revolution was sparked by high unemployment and worries about corruption.

Seven years on, some of the same problems remain.

Youth unemployment stands at more than 35%, the UN's International Labour Organisation says.

Terror attacks that hit the country's vital tourism industry have helped knock its currency down 60% since 2011. Inflation is at a three-and-a-half-year high, with the price of meat and other foods rising by more than 10% annually.

In December 2017, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told Tunisia it needed to take "urgent action" and "decisive measures" to reduce its deficit. The IMF gave the country a $2.9bn (£2.2bn) loan in 2015.

Ben Ali, who lives in exile in Saudi Arabia, was convicted in absentia by a Tunisian court in 2011 of embezzlement and misuse of public funds and sentenced to 35 years.</s>Tunisia's government on Saturday announced an increase in aid to the needy and improved health care as part of social reforms following a week of unrest triggered by austerity measures.

Social Affairs Minister Mohamed Trabelsi told reporters that monthly aid to needy families would rise from 150 dinars (50 euros) to between 180 and 210 dinars (60 and 70 euros).

He said reforms which have been in the pipeline for several months would guarantee medical care for all Tunisians, without elaborating, and also provide housing to disadvantaged families.

The announcement came after President Beji Caid Essebsi consulted with political parties, unions and employers.

The North African country has been shaken by a wave of protests over poverty and unemployment during which hundreds of people were arrested before the unrest tapered off.

"It's a very advanced legal project, which was submitted to parliament and will be discussed over the next week," said a government source who requested anonymity.

At the opening of his consultations, Essebsi accused the foreign press of "amplifying" the social unrest and damaging the country's image in its coverage of protests.

The president said he would visit a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Tunis that had been the scene of street protests.

Tunisia, whose economy has been hit by a collapse in tourism revenues following a wave of jihadist attacks in 2015, has secured a 2.4-billion-euro ($2.9-billion) IMF loan in return for a reduction in its budget deficit and financial reforms.

The two-hour crisis talks at the presidential palace brought together Essebsi, representatives of political parties, the powerful UGTT trade union and the UTICA employers' federation.

"We discussed the general situation in the country and the reforms, especially socio-economic, that must be adopted to overcome the current problems," UTICA head Wided Bouchamaoui told reporters.

Proposals were raised "to pull out of this tension" without scrapping a contested 2018 budget, said Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist movement Ennahda in Tunisia's ruling coalition, without elaborating.

UTICA and UGTT shared the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for their work during Tunisia's transition towards democracy after the revolution.

The demonstrations broke out ahead of Sunday's seventh anniversary of the toppling of veteran dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a revolt that sparked uprisings across the Arab region.

The trigger for the protests on January 7 was the budget imposing tax hikes after a year of rising prices.

A man in his 40s died in unrest on Monday night in the northern town of Tebourba, though police have insisted they did not kill him.

Interior ministry spokesman Khlifa Chibani on Saturday said a total of 803 people suspected of taking part in acts of violence, theft and looting were arrested this week.

Some 97 security forces and members of civil protection units were also injured, he said. There was no immediate toll for the number of protesters injured in the unrest.

Calm returned to the country on Thursday night and there was "no attack against public or private property" in the night of Friday to Saturday, Chibani said.

AFP correspondents reported one small protest overnight Friday in the central city of Sidi Bouzid -- the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising -- and said police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

Tunisia is considered a rare success story of the Arab Spring uprisings that began in the North African country in 2011 and spread across the region, toppling autocrats.

But the authorities have failed to resolve the issues of poverty and unemployment.

"These demonstrations reveal the anger felt by the same people who mobilised in 2011 and got nothing in terms of social and economic rights," said political analyst Olfa Lamloum.

Protests are common in Tunisia in January when people mark the anniversary of the revolution that ousted Ben Ali.

This year, the country has seen rising anger after the government adopted the 2018 budget which includes hikes in value-added tax, on mobile phones and real estate as well as in social contributions.</s>Tunisia's government announced an increase in aid to the needy and improved health care as part of social reforms following a week of unrest triggered by austerity measures.

Social Affairs Minister Mohamed Trabelsi told reporters that monthly aid to needy families would rise from 150 dinars (50 euros) to between 180 and 210 dinars (60 and 70 euros), as reported by AFP. He said reforms which have been in the pipeline for several months would guarantee medical care for all Tunisians, without elaborating, and also provide housing to disadvantaged families.

The announcement came after President Beji Caid Essebsi consulted with political parties, unions and employers.

"It's a very advanced legal project, which was submitted to parliament and will be discussed over the next week," said a government source who requested anonymity.

At the opening of his consultations, Essebsi accused the foreign press of "amplifying" the social unrest and damaging the country's image in its coverage of protests.

The president said he would visit a disadvantaged neighborhood of Tunis that had been the scene of street protests.

Tunisia, whose economy has been hit by a collapse in tourism revenues following a wave of jihadi attacks in 2015, has secured a 2.4-billion-euro ($2.9-billion) IMF loan in return for a reduction in its budget deficit and financial reforms.

The two-hour crisis talks at the presidential palace brought together Essebsi, representatives of political parties, the powerful UGTT trade union and the UTICA employers' federation.

"We discussed the general situation in the country and the reforms, especially socio-economic, that must be adopted to overcome the current problems," UTICA head Wided Bouchamaoui told reporters.

Proposals were raised "to pull out of this tension" without scrapping a contested 2018 budget, said Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist movement Ennahda in Tunisia's ruling coalition, without elaborating.

The UTICA and UGTT shared the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for their work during Tunisia's transition towards democracy after the revolution.

The demonstrations broke out ahead of Sunday's seventh anniversary of the toppling of former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a revolt that sparked uprisings across the Arab region.

The trigger for the protests on Jan. 7 was the budget imposing tax hikes after a year of rising prices.

A man in his 40s died in the unrest on Monday night in the northern town of Tebourba, though police have insisted they did not kill him.</s>(CNN) Tunisia has announced a raft of social reforms following anti-austerity protests which broke out across the North African country earlier this month.

The reforms, which include free medical aid for unemployed youth, come in the wake of demonstrations that began January 1.

Over 700 people have been arrested in the protests against price hikes since Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Friday.

Protesters confront security forces in the capital city of Tunis on Friday, January 12.

Following a meeting at the presidential palace on Saturday, Social Affairs Minister Mohamed Trabelsi announced reforms aimed at providing relief for the economically disadvantaged, according to state news agency TAP.

While the reforms address concerns of the poor, they do not effectively change the 2018 budget legislation -- which many had protested against.

"Dropping the 2018 budget law is an unthinking and irresponsible idea," said Rached Ghannouchi, head of Tunisia's Ennahda Party, part of the ruling coalition.

"State reserve funds could solve some problems and create resources without opting for dropping the finance law," Ghannouchi continued.

Protesters face various charges, including vandalism, looting, attacks against public property and causing fires and road blocks, Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Major Khelifa Chibani told state news agency TAP.

But incidents of vandalism dropped sharply later in the week, Chibani added, and on Saturday protesters marched peacefully in the city of Sidi Bouzid.

Next month's economic forum organized by the Tunisian General Labor Union will discuss ways to resolve the country's economic concerns -- including unemployment.

"Young people, especially in working-class neighborhoods, must receive real attention from the state, which is called upon to lend a listening ear to their demands," said the union's Secretary-General Noureddine Tabboubi.

Who is protesting and why?

A new, informal youth movement calling itself Fech Nestannew -- or "What are we waiting for?" -- sprang up at the start of the year and is now using social media to rally opposition to price hikes.

The latest protests coincide with the seventh anniversary of President Zine el Abedine Ben Ali's ousting after mass demonstrations -- igniting the Arab Spring across the region.

More recently, Tunisia's government has increased taxes under the 2018 Finance Act. The new budget raised value-added tax (VAT), or sales tax, on cars, alcohol, phone calls, the internet, hotel accommodation and other items, according to the Reuters news agency.

The austerity measures come at a time when Tunisia's economy is struggling. Its important tourism sector has not yet recovered following deadly terror attacks in Sousse and Tunis in 2015. Inflation in Tunisia currently runs at about 6% a year, which is eating away at people's earnings, and the tax hikes will hit those with the least hardest.

What is the political backdrop?

The protests had raised fears of wider unrest in Tunisia, the nation which spawned the 2011 Arab Spring movement but has since been seen as a zone of relative stability in a troubled region.

However protests are also common in Tunisia in the month of January, when many people mark the anniversary of the toppling in 2011 of the country's longtime autocratic leader, President Ben Ali.

Subsequent elections have given power to the moderate Islamist Ennahda party and the secularist Nidaa Tounes party, led by President Beji Caid Essebsi and seen as representing the old brigade.</s>Tunisia’s government plans to increase aid to the poor and improve healthcare following a week of unrest triggered by austerity measures.

The social affairs minister, Mohamed Trabelsi, announced on Saturday monthly aid to needy families would rise from 150 dinars (£45) to between 180 and 210 dinars.

He also said reforms that have been in the pipeline for several months would guarantee medical care for all Tunisians and also provide housing to disadvantaged families.



“This will concern about 250,000 families,” he said. “It will help the poor and middle class.”

The North African country has been shaken by a wave of protests over poverty and unemployment during which hundreds of people were arrested before the unrest tapered off.

“It’s a very advanced legal project, which was submitted to parliament and will be discussed over the next week,” said a government source.

The announcement came after the president, Beji Caid Essebsi, consulted with political parties, unions and employers. At the opening of his consultations, Essebsi accused the foreign press of “amplifying” the social unrest and damaging the country’s image in its coverage of protests.

The president said he would visit a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Tunis that had been the scene of street protests.

Tunisia, whose economy has been hit by a collapse in tourism revenues following a wave of jihadist attacks in 2015, has secured a £2bn IMF loan in return for a reduction in its budget deficit and financial reforms.

The demonstrations broke out ahead of Sunday’s seventh anniversary of the toppling of veteran dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in a revolt that sparked uprisings across the Arab region. Activists and the opposition have called for fresh protests on Sunday.

The trigger for the protests on 7 January was the budget imposing tax hikes after a year of rising prices. A man in his 40s died in unrest on Monday night in the northern town of Tebourba, though police have insisted they did not kill him.

Interior ministry spokesman Khlifa Chibani on Saturday said a total of 803 people suspected of taking part in acts of violence, theft and looting were arrested this week.</s>Tunisians marked the seventh anniversary of the Arab Spring uprising with a peaceful rally against austerity measures on Sunday, capping a week of sometimes violent protests triggered by tax and price hikes.

The North African country is seen as having enjoyed a relatively smooth democratic transition since the January 14, 2011 toppling of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years in power. Seven years later, however, anger over rising prices and the country’s persistent economic problems is again boiling over.

Designed to revive the economy while meeting Tunisia's agreements with international donors, the government's new financial bill came into effect on January 1. Yet after a week of fierce protests, critics say the new measures are only exacerbating the problem.

FRANCE 24 spoke with Max Gallien, a PhD candidate and researcher on the political economy of North Africa at the London School of Economics (LSE), about the economic situation in Tunisia, and how this has informed the current crisis.

FRANCE 24: Rising living costs are seen as the major trigger of the protests in Tunisia; who or what is to blame for the increase?

Max Gallien: It is important to distinguish between this new spike that we are seeing since January 1 – which is partly due to the new measures in the financial law, and also due partly to the response of shops and merchants to increases in taxes and tariffs – and the backdrop of rising inflation in Tunisia over the last few years, connected to the continuous depreciation of the dinar. Tunisia imports a significant amount of food, so this is quite directly influenced by the currency crisis.

Who is to blame? It is a combination of larger macro-economic factors that will be a reality for the foreseeable future, but also government policy that has been fixated on deficit reduction.

The social costs these reforms will have on people across the country has not been on the government’s radar. That is the case, for example, when we look at rising prices and compare them to the relatively limited rise in the minimum wage over the last couple of years.

The other major factor are international financial institutions, particularly the IMF [International Monetary Fund], which has been pushing towards austerity programs and devaluation of the dinar.

You mentioned the government’s financial bill, that passed controversially last year and came into effect on January 1 – what has this meant to the average Tunisian?

There are subtle differences between what is in the bill, and the actual results.

First, there have been VAT increases across three tax brackets – all of them increasing by 1%. There are also individual increases for specific businesses, like car dealerships and large scale commercial platforms, as well as a relatively small decrease in subsidies.

But the main thing this has meant for Tunisians is that, having already faced steady increases in the price of things like gas, electricity and food in recent years, they have once again seen another spike on January 1. Tunisians report that shops are now 10-15% more expensive than they were even just a few weeks ago.

The IMF approved a 2.9-billion-dollar loan for Tunisia in 2016, but froze the second installment last year until Tunis demonstrates its commitment to austerity. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed’s response – by pushing through a reform budget – has triggered these protests. Is the government stuck between a rock and a hard place, and is there a way out?

It is a difficult question, as it is hard to unpin how much of this is IMF pressure and how much these reforms are due to the ideological position of this government – and whether this would remain unchanged if the IMF were to back off.

The government likes to present itself as being stuck between strong unions on the one hand, calling for one thing, and international financial actors calling for another.

To formulate any immediate way forward is difficult, though if the international community and international financial institutions were to take a different approach to Tunisia it would be of extreme importance to any step out of the current predicament.

What would this change to the international community’s approach look like?

The first thing would be to think of the social impact of the reforms we are seeing now. This impact should not be suprising to anyone who has monitored the Tunisian economy, and it should have disqualified these reforms before they happened.

So something to change would be to keep an eye on the social impact of any of these reforms, without just looking at deficit reduction, and then also to give the Tunisian government more breathing space with international lenders.

Tunisia’s social affairs minister, Mohamed Trabelsi, announced on Saturday certain concessions and welfare increases. Will these be enough to placate those protesting?

The government has a serious credibility issue, meaning this tactic may well prove ineffective. People have grown sceptical of government promises. I am personally sceptical of whether the government’s promises [to increase monthly aid and improve access to medical care and housing for families in need – editor's note] will be enough to change the situation and thereby ease tensions.

They are short-term fixes for a much bigger problem.

What steps should the government take to change its economic policy and address the situation?

If we look at the way the Tunisian government after 2011 has addressed the legacies of economic authoritarianism in the country, there has been a focus on addressing the legacy of state overreach – of corruption, of state involvement with certain business families.

But there has been very little thinking about the effects of state neglect, where the state previously fell short, for example in improving infrastructure in interior regions [as opposed to wealthier coastal areas – editor’s note], or creating access to a labour market that goes beyond public sector hiring.

Instead, the focus has been on ‘levelling the playing field’. Simply put, this just won’t work for everybody, because the playing field has been uneven for so long. You have to help people up first.

There are people who have been shut out of the labour market entirely, living in regions with poor infrastructure where no private investment will go without incentives. Meanwhile the education system in some areas appears to have been purposefully allowed to deteriorate.

There need to be specific economic interventions in these regions, and these things are going to be costly and they will have to go through the state.

These things do not work well with the current ideology that dominates Tunisian economic policy, but they are absolutely essential.

You mentioned ‘levelling the playing field’. The idea was recently thrown into question by a controversial law granting amnesty to businessmen accused of corruption before the 2011 revolution. The government said it was economically necessary: is this the case?

The economic rationale behind the law has always been questionable to say the least.

The idea that it will help investment has been used to justify just about anything. It has not been questioned as it should have been. In Tunisian media self-declared ‘economists’ have given specific GDP growth figures claiming the law would lead to a 1.2% increase. This is absolutely preposterous. There is no economic model in the world where pardoning 2,000 corrupt bureaucrats leads to 1.2% growth.

It is this kind of pseudo-economic language that has been used to justify things that have nothing to do with investment in Tunisia.

Does Tunisia simply need more time to address these pressing economic issues?

Time is a factor of course. Yet I don’t think it’s an issue of walking too slowly, but in the right direction. There needs to be a different approach by the government towards the economy, but as I mentioned before it is important to stress the role of the international community in terms of its priorities for Tunisia.

If you look at how the international community was able to do bring money to address the security situation in the country, the same approach is needed for the economic disparities in Tunisia: they threaten its stability in the same way.

Finally, following these reforms the government has assured 2018 would be the last hard year for Tunisia – is this feasible, or just empty rhetoric?

It is utterly unfeasible. If we look at the debt repayment structure that Tunisia is facing, and the larger macro-economic trends with respect to inflation, currency and wages, the idea that if things continue as they are the situation will improve is absolutely ridiculous.

You have to ask – who is really causing harm to the economy? If you push reforms to the point where people are so destitute they believe the only way to engage is to protest, then your reforms are not sustainable. […] Blaming protestors for prolonging the crisis is the same as blaming the ‘canary in the coalmine’.</s>The Tunisian government has announced a wave of social reforms, following days of demonstrations by anti-austerity protesters.

Protests broke out ahead of Sunday’s seventh anniversary of the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Emergency government meetings were held in response to protests, which have seen more than 800 people arrested.

Officials said plans had been submitted to parliament to reform medical care, housing and increase aid to the poor.

Demonstrations began earlier this month after the government announced New Year tax and price increases in its 2018 budget.

In December the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told Tunisia it needed to take “urgent action” to reduce its budget deficit.

Successive governments have failed to resolve national unemployment and poverty, and the country’s vital tourism industry has struggled to rebuild after terror attacks targeted foreign nationals in 2015, killing dozens.

People have taken to the streets against the budget measures, despite Prime Minister Yousef Chahed attempting to assure Tunisians that 2018 would be the country’s last “difficult” year.

Interior ministry spokesman Khlifa Chibani said on Saturday that 803 people had been arrested throughout the week on suspicion of violence, theft and looting during demonstrations.

He said 97 members of the country’s security forces had been injured in the unrest, but did not say how many protestors had been hurt.

The United Nations human rights office expressed concern on Friday over the large numbers being detained.

But Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi accused the foreign press of “amplifying” the unrest and damaging the country’s image with its coverage.

He hosted two hours of crisis talks with political parties, powerful trade unions and employers on Saturday to try and decide on reforms to alleviate national tension.

Mohammed Trabelsi, the Minister of Social Affairs, said the government proposed increasing welfare payments to those in need by 170 million dinars ($70m; £50m).

“This will affect about 250,000 families,” he said. “It will help the poor and middle class.”

He also alluded to plans for guaranteed medical care and housing reform, but did not give further details.</s>Violent protests against Tunisia's austerity measures continued in the country, as demonstrators also marked the seventh anniversary of the Tunisian revolution.</s>Police used tear gas against protesters, who hurled rocks and set tires on fire in Tunisia on the 7th anniversary of the 'Arab Spring,' after a week of a widening crackdown on anti-austerity protests and nearly 800 arrests.Hundreds of youth protesting price hikes and tax increases announced by the cash-strapped Tunisian government on January 1 clashed with police in two neighborhoods of the capital, and in the city of Feriana on the Algerian border.Protesters hurled rocks and other projectiles, set off fireworks and set rubbish and tires on fire as anti-austerity protests, which have been raging in the country over the past week, again turned violent on Sunday evening after a two-day respite.Nearly 800 people were arrested in a widening crackdown on the dissent. The Tunisian government deployed over 2,000 soldiers to stop the unrest, as the opposition accuses the authorities of indiscriminate arrests.Seven years ago, on January 14, 2011, long-serving Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was forced into an exile in what was hailed as the first major 'success' of the nascent Arab Spring movement.In a bid to quell the unrest, the Tunisian government on Saturday pledged 100 million dinars ($40 million) to help the most impoverished families, and announced free health care for the unemployed.In another symbolic effort to appease the protesters, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi opened a youth center in the poor working-class district where a protester was recently killed, defending the modest aid measures taken by the government as "better than nothing," according to Bloomberg.Dissatisfied with the government's response to the crisis, around 2,000 people held a series of peaceful rallies in downtown Tunis, including one in front of the Labor Union headquarters, to mark the anniversary of Ali's toppling."We are proud of our freedoms, but we are far from the goals of the revolution concerning dignity and betterment of the population's conditions," opposition lawmaker Ghazi Chaouachi said in an interview on Sunday, as cited by AP."We were optimistic after the revolution of 2011, but our hopes have been dashed. There is nothing for young people, the wages are so low that they can't provide for themselves," a woman, protesting the government on Sunday, told RT. The budget cuts, introduced by the government to meet the demands set by the International Monetary Fund, "will make people even poorer," a man said. "We have seen poverty, starvation and mass arrests."</s>The Tunisian government has proposed a range of socioeconomic reforms to the parliament in an apparent attempt to ease public discontent, which was manifested in days of unrest triggered by austerity measures in the North African country.

 Tunisian Minister of Social Affairs Mohamed Trabelsi said on Saturday that the reforms were mainly aimed at providing aid to poor families and securing medical care for all Tunisians.

 “Firstly, providing a minimum amount for Tunisian families and, secondly, guaranteeing health care for all Tunisians, with no exception, and providing or helping to provide appropriate housing to all Tunisian families,” Trabelsi said.

 The Tunisian minister also announced the allocation of 100 million dinars (roughly 42 million dollar) in the budget to families in need and an increase in monthly aid from 150 dinars (61 dollars) to between 180 and 210 dinars.

 “It’s a very advanced legal project, which was submitted to parliament and will be discussed over the next week,” said a government source, who requested anonymity.

 The Saturday announcement came after Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi consulted with the country’s political parties, unions, and employers.

 Tunisia has been the scene of protests against hikes in value-added tax and social contributions introduced at the beginning of the year to reduce the country’s annual deficit and satisfy international lenders. In recent years, demonstrations have been held in the month of January, which marks the anniversary of the 2011 revolution that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

 The 2011 uprising and two major militant attacks in Tunisia in 2015 harmed foreign investment and tourism, which accounts for eight percent of the country’s economic activity.

 The North African country has been hailed for its relatively smooth democratic transition since the 2011 revolution, but it is still experiencing economic and political turbulence.

 Tunisia’s Interior Ministry spokesman Khlifa Chibani also announced on Saturday that a total of 803 people suspected of taking part in acts of violence, theft, and looting had been arrested over a week of unrest.

 The spokesman added that some 97 security forces and members of civil protection units had sustained injuries in clashes.—Agencies
The Tunisian government announces a wave of social and economic reforms after violent anti-austerity protests that have resulted in at least one death and the arrest of more than eight hundred people.