Tunisia: Activists demand plant shut down linked to poisonings

On 10th October in Tunisia’s southern city of Gabès, many residents demanded the shutdown of the phosphate processing plant long linked to poisonings, according to The New Arab via AFP.

The demonstration was organised by the local campaign group Stop Pollution and was triggered by reports and videos circulating on social media showing schoolchildren struggling to breathe in their classroom, allegedly due to pollution from the plant.

The protests blocked roads and reportedly continued until midnight, before police forces dispersed the crowds using tear gas.

Activists, including the Tunisian Human Rights League, drew up a petition calling for the dismantling of the plant. According to their document, 69 children and students, along with four women, suffered asphyxiation due to “leaks of deadly toxic gases from the GCT (Tunisian Chemical Group), whose emissions have intensified since early September.”

The plant is accused of releasing toxic gases, including sulphur dioxide and ammonia, into the air and dumping its solid waste, known as phosphogypsum, into the Mediterranean Sea. The phosphogypsum contains radium, which decays into the radioactive gas radon — a known health hazard associated with an increased risk of cancer.

In recent weeks, about 20 people in Gabès were hospitalised with respiratory problems, also reportedly caused by the plant’s toxic emissions.

Tunisia, rich in natural phosphate reserves essential for fertiliser production, is currently the 10th largest fertiliser exporter in the world. Previously ranked fifth, the Tunisian government now plans to expand fertiliser production at the Gabès plant. Despite its 2017 promise to gradually close the facility, the government has abandoned the pledge due to its crippling financial debt.

On 11th October, Tunisian President Kais Saied dispatched teams from the energy and environment ministries to assess the situation. The government has also promised to attract investment and revive development of the long-neglected phosphate sector in Gabès, aiming to address many years of underinvestment in the sector.