Tunisia will honor three days of mourning following the death of its president, Beji Caid Essebsi. The 92-year-old statesman died at a military hospital in Tunis on Thursday morning, following speculation about his health in recent weeks. Alongside Tunisia in its mourning are Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories,…
On the question of Libya, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Tunisian and Algerian counterparts Wednesday to discuss the crisis, agreeing to press for a ceasefire and advance the cause of a Libyan political agreement jeopardized by the fighting in Tripoli. Shoukry, Tunisian Khemaies Jhinaoui and Algeria’s Ramtane…
The nations of Niger and Tunisia were elected to two-year terms on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday. They join the 10-nation roster of nonpermanent members to the council, along with incoming nations Estonia, Vietnam and – in a first for the smallest country to ever hold a…
Some 65 people have drowned off the coast of Tunisia, after their boat sank early Friday about 83 kilometers from the shore as they attempted a Mediterranean Sea crossing. Another 16 people were rescued and brought to the coastal city of Zarzis by the Tunisian Navy, according to UNHCR, the…
Tunisia has completed the training of its first group of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilots, whose skills will be used to boost agricultural productivity in the North African nation. The eight pilots participated in a two-week session to learn how to fly and maintain the drones, as well as understand…
The protests aren’t just for yellow vests anymore. Now a Tunisian grassroots group has launched its “gilet rouge” movement, saying it’s the only way to save the nation eight years after the Tunisian Revolution of December 2010. Citing their disappointment in Tunisia’s economic situation, including high prices, unemployment and corruption,…
Tunisia’s significant human rights challenges remain seven years after its uprising, says Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. His statement Thursday comes after a 10-day visit to assess progress and the impact of new legislation that, while intended…
Three North African nations saw extreme rains and deadly flooding earlier this week, with Nabeul and Jemmel in Tunisia among the hardest hit, and torrential rains turning Tripoli’s streets into rivers. Algeria also was affected, but now the storm system is taking aim at southern Europe as a so-called “medicane.”…
Officials with the United Nations migration agency say the death toll has reached at least 112 after a boat on the Mediterranean Sea sank off the coast of Tunisia at the weekend. The boat was carrying an estimated 180 migrants, many of them from Tunisia, when it went down between…
Protesters took to the streets again Sunday night in Tunisia, where the disputed outcome of a football match has sparked three straight nights of demonstrations. The crowds in Gafsa, a troubled Tunisian crossroads city about 200 kilometers inland from Sfax, blocked streets and burned tires to protest a referee decision…
A Russian diplomat says the ship that’s being held in Tunisia, reportedly with 24 unregistered containers full of military equipment on board, belongs to a Turkish company and has no Russian citizens among its crew members. “This ship belongs to the Turkish company Akdeniz Ro Ro, and on February 15…
Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has said the government will crack down on anti-austerity protesters after their peaceful marches spiraled into violence in a number of the North African nation’s cities. “We are in a democracy, and those who want to protest can do it during the day, not at…
West African heads of state begin their meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on Saturday, with a range of issues on the agenda for the summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). What won’t be on the agenda as planned is a discussion of Morocco’s accession to the body,…
Mauritius remains the highest-ranking African nation for good governance, although with some of the warning signs and slowing improvement found in nearly half of the countries on the continent, according to the annual Mo Ibrahim Foundation report released Monday. The 2017 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) measures a range…
Tunisia will receive a €200 million loan installment from the European Union, following a decision by the EU Commission to release the funds as part of the latest financial assistance package for the North African nation. The loan is a first disbursement as the EU launches its second Macro-Financial Assistance…