Demonstrations took place on Tuesday 13 October in Sbeïtla, about 30 miles (30 kilometers) from Kasserine, a marginalized region in central western Tunisia. Residents’ anger erupted after the death of a man killed in the destruction of his newsstand.
It all starts at night from Monday to Tuesday. The local authorities in Sbeïtla decide to apply a decision to destroy an illegal outlet for newspapers and tobacco. However, the owner’s father is sleeping inside. He died during this operation. Her son explains that municipal officials did not check if the kiosk was empty.
After this death, dozens of residents express their anger. They blocked roads, fired a municipal vehicle, threw stones and objects at the security forces. Reinforcements are sent on site to secure the institutions, “as a precautionary measure,” according to the Department of Defense.
For his part, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichilimoge was four people, including the prefect of the region. The presidency of the Tunisian government announces the opening of an investigation.
These events take place in a marginalized region in the interior of Tunisia, where protest movements are frequent, especially to ask for work. With the health crisis and its economic consequences, unemployment has reached 18% nationally and is even higher in the country’s inner regions.
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