Vol 64 No 25 | TUNISIA Parliament in chaos over anti-Israel law 4th December 2023 The President's inconsistency has dashed his hopes of bolstering his popularity by backing the Palestinian cause Tunisians of all political stripes have united in their thousands in protest at Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza. Demonstrations have continued over much of the last...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 21 | TUNISIA Saïed chooses isolation after returning EU cash 17th October 2023 The President has turned down €60m of funding from Europe and is no closer to agreement on a $1.9bn IMF programme It is increasingly hard to see where Tunisia will source financial support in the coming months after President Kaïs Saïed rejected funding from the European Union. Last week... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 21 | TUNISIAEUROPEAN UNION Erratic Saïed jeopardises cash for migrants deal with Brussels 11th October 2023 European officials bristle after autocratic leader dismisses their offer as 'derisory' The future of the €785 million (US$828m) 'cash for migrant control' deal between Tunisia and the European Union is in question after President Kaïs Saïed dismissed a €60m... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 19 | TUNISIA Heart of the migration storm 21st September 2023 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues to exert diplomatic pressure on Tunisia and Libya as the Italian island of Lampedusa continues to receive unprecedented numbers of migrants from...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 18 | TUNISIA African Union court demands legal access for political detainees 5th September 2023 President Saïed's regime has 15 days to respond to the ruling on politicians jailed in crackdown on opposition The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights has ordered the Tunisian government to allow jailed opposition politicians and activists access to their lawyers, giving President Kaïs Saïed's... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 17 | TUNISIA Saïed's new crank 24th August 2023 President Kais Saïed's decision to replace Najla Bouden, hailed two years earlier ago as the Arab World's first female prime minister, with 66-year-old Ahmed Hachani, a political novice...
Vol 64 No 16 | TUNISIAEUROPEAN UNION Bang to rights 3rd August 2023 Confusion abounds about the legal basis for the 'cash for migrant control' agreement between the European Commission and President Kaïs Saïed .
Vol 64 No 15 | TUNISIA Saïed wins €1 billion windfall in EU migration deal 18th July 2023 EU officials signed a €1bn pact with Tunis, establishing a new model for outsourcing migration control to the region's authoritarian regimes The European Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tunis on 16 July, promising around €1 billion to the beleaguered economy while handing a de facto political lifeline...
Vol 64 No 13 | TUNISIA Brussels deal rescues Saïed 23rd June 2023 The European Union has been accused of hypocrisy for showering Tunis with money in exchange for strict emigration controls European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – flanked by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his counterpart Giorgia Meloni of Italy – swept up the steps of...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 13 | TUNISIAEUROPEAN UNION Brussels rescues Kaïs Saïed with cash for migration control deal 13th June 2023 The billion euro migration pact with Tunis presages similar pacts with Algeria and Egypt By offering a financial package worth up to €1.5 billion (US$1.61bn) to Tunisia as part of a new 'cash for migration control' deal, the European Union has handed... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 12 | TUNISIA Saïed plans to tax the rich to keep the IMF away 7th June 2023 As financial pressures mount rapidly, the country's wealthy elite faces heavy pressure President Kaïs Saïed appears to have ruled out the prospect of a $2 billion loan agreement with the IMF in favour of new, and as yet unspecified, tax... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 9 | TUNISIA Saïed steps up attacks on the opposition 25th April 2023 Deepening political repression prompts European Union to voice 'great concern' about the President's autocratic methods President Kaïs Saïed is stepping up his crackdown on opposition politicians following the arrest and detention of Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist Ennahda party.Both the headquarters of... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 8 | TUNISIA President Saïed picks a fight with the Fund 11th April 2023 Rejecting conditions such as cutting subsidies, the embattled leader rejects 'diktats' from the IMF After a two-week absence from the public stage, President Kaïs Saïed returned to the fray on 4 April with fresh condemnation of his opponents, announcing that many were... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 7 | TUNISIA Saïed's racial crackdown deepens economic woes 22nd March 2023 Tunisia's president is locking up political opponents and inciting racist violence, as the country's economy plunges into further chaos President Kaïs Saïed is making good on his 28 December promise to crack down on what he calls 'the enemies of Tunisia'. In the past few weeks, he...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 5 | TUNISIA AU calls President Saïed's complaints about African migrations 'racialised hate speech' 28th February 2023 Statement to the National Security Council follows deepening crackdown on opposition and dissidents After President Kaïs Saïed told the National Security Council in Tunis there was a plot to settle migrants from south of the Sahara in Tunisia, the African Union... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 3 | TUNISIA Low turn-out saps Saïed 2nd February 2023 Pressure on President Kaïs Saïed to step down is mounting after a series of political reverses and stark evidence of his diminishing popularity, the most recent of which...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 1 | TUNISIA Voters stay away en masse in challenge to Saïed 23rd December 2022 Union strike action could strengthen opposition to regime's growing authoritarianism but outsiders steer clear The scale of the backlash by voters, just 8.8% of whom turned out in Saturday's parliamentary elections, according to Tunisia's electoral commission, is a major blow to President... READ FOR FREE