As the country suffers an economic and political crisis, over hundreds of Tunisians on Monday staged a protest against food shortages, poverty and high prices of goods.
Tunisia is struggling to revive its public finances as discontent grows over inflation running at nearly nine per cent and a shortage of many food items in stores because the country cannot afford to pay for some imports.
In Mornag suburb, young men blocked roads, protesting the suicide of a young man who his family says hanged himself, after municipal police harassed him and seized a weighing machine when he was selling fruit in the street without permission.
Riot police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters in Mornag.
Protesters raised slogans against the police and threw stones.
In Douar Hicher, protesters chanted “Jobs, freedom and national dignity,” and “We can’t support crazy price hikes”, “Where is sugar?”.
Food shortages are worsening in Tunisia with empty shelves in supermarkets and bakeries.
Local media reports that North African nation is also in the midst of a severe political crisis since of Tunisian President seized control of the executive power last year and dissolved parliament in a move his opponents called a coup.
In the poor Douar Hicher district in the capital, some protesters lifted loaves of bread in the air. Other chanted, “Where is Kais Saied?”. Angry youths burned tires.
Tunisia, which is suffering its worst financial crisis, is seeking to secure an International Monetary Fund loan to save public finances from collapse.
The government raised this month the price of cooking gas cylinders by 14 per cent for the first time in 12 years.