Tunisia : protests erupt after 3 students die
Protests have erupted in Tunisia in the town of Mezzouna after a wall collapsed, killing three students and injuring two others, says Le Monde on April 17th.
Tensions remain in the Sidi Bouzid governorate, the starting point of the 2011 revolution, with clashes between protestors and the police continuing, and injuring several protesters.
According to local media, the school wall, built in the 1980, had been showing cracks for several years with no actions taken to repair it. The school director, who claims he alerted authorities in 2022 about the hazard, was subsequently arrested and charged for manslaughter.
The incident immediately sparked tensions in the city of Mezzouna, with protesters urging the State to recognise its responsibility and setting up roadblocks with burning tyres. Clashes with the local forces ensued, injuring several civilians, some due to tear gas. A motorcyclist was also injured by the police as he tried to cross a checkpoint.
The national education union called for a strike immediately after the incident, to protest against “the failure of authorities to find real and serious solutions to preserve public schools”, citing the lack of public school funding as the cause of the incident.
The incident alimented the feud between the President Kais Saied and the opposition, with TV anchor Riad Jrad – a supporter of Saied – accusing the opposition of instrumentalizing the tragedy to bolster its popularity.
For Ezzedine Hazgui, a regime opponent, the drama proves Saied’s inability to meet the country’s needs.
“He jailed my son because he is unable to find solutions”, he says, in reference to his son Jaouher Ben Mbarek, one of the many political opponents held in prison, in what the opposition has called sham trials.
In Sidi Bouzid, a marginalized agricultural region, the death of the students aged 18 between 19 has reignited political demands that remain unanswered since the 2011 revolution.
In a televised interview, Kais Saied ensured that significant resources would be allocated to prevent any further incidents.
Le Monde, Maghrebi
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