Tunisia

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Tunisian President Kais Saied signed a presidential pardon for over 1,700 individuals detained for their critical social media posts about the government, The National reported on July 26.

Tunisia: Saied Pardons Social Media Critics

Lotfi Mraihi, the leader of Tunisia's opposition Republican Union Party and a presidential hopeful, was arrested by Tunisian police on charges of money laundering, The New Arab reported June 4.

Tunisia: Prominent Opposition Leader Arrested

In a presidential decree, issued July 2, Tunisian President Kais Saied announced presidential elections would be held Oct. 6 and, though he did not announce his candidacy at the time, he is widely expected to run for reelection, Bloomberg reported July 3.

Tunisia: Presidential Elections Scheduled for Oct. 6

Social Issues

Hundreds of anti-migration demonstrators took to the streets of Jebeniana north of Sfax city on the Mediterranean coast to protest against the presence of stranded sub-Saharan migrants, AP reported on May 18.

Tunisia: Tunisians Protest Against Stranded Migrants

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Arab leaders began to arrive in Manama, Bahrain, on May 15, for the 33rd Arab League summit that will focus on developing a consensus on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, The National reported the next day.

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

A group of 25 Tunisian nongovernmental organizations released a joint statement accusing President Kais Saied's government of intensifying its crackdown on reporters and lawyers ahead of the Tunisian presidential election later in 2024, Bloomberg reported on May 13.

Tunisia: NGOs Allege Intensifying Crackdown on Lawyers, Journalists

Europe

The European Union plans to give Tunisia up to 164.5 million euros ($178.17 million) over three years to curb the number of migrants arriving in Europe via the central Mediterranean route, the Financial Times reported on March 24.

Tunisia, Europe: EU Plans $178M Deal To Curb Central Mediterranean Migration

Armed clashes erupted in Libya between the Interior Ministry's Zuwara Military Chamber task force and armed militias near the Libya-Tunisia Ras Ajdir border crossing, The National reported on March 18.

Tunisia, Libya: Armed Clashes in Libya Result in Closure of Ras Ajdir Border Crossing

Assessments

Supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied participate in a rally rejecting foreign interference in the country's internal affairs in Tunis, Tunisia, on May 19, 2024. 

After his expected reelection in late 2024, Saied will likely continue to consolidate power and crack down on dissent, but he'll remain constrained by Tunisia's powerful labor unions and fears of stoking unrest.

Tunisia's Authoritarian Slide Under President Saied Looks Set to Continue

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The U.S. and Mexican flags. On Dec. 27, a delegation of top U.S. officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is expected to travel to Mexico to meet with President Lopez Obrador to discuss ways to address the recent surge of migrants on the southern U.S. border.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Mexican Officials Talk Migration, Putin Meets With CIS Leaders

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Tunisian dinar.

Tunisia will push European states for more aid as migrants use the country as a launching point to the Continent.

Tunisia Angles for More European Aid as Migrants Travel North

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Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

People line up in front of a bakery selling subsidized bread in Tunis, Tunisia, on Aug. 19, 2023.

The ongoing shortages risk eroding President Saied's popularity, triggering unrest, and delaying the disbursement of needed IMF funds.

Tunisia's Response to Bread Shortages Bode Ill for Its Economic Stability

Low water levels are seen at the Sidi Salem Dam, Tunisia's largest embankment dam, on April 6, 2023. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Water and food shortages this summer will increase socioeconomic risks in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, along with the impetus for more sustainable agricultural practices. 

After a Dry Spring, Northwest Africa Braces for Disruptive Crop Failures

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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (2nd L) and Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (3rd L) attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 28, 2023.

As Europe turns away from Russian energy, Italy positions itself as a natural gas conduit between the Continent and Africa.

With Energy Deals in Africa, Italy Positions Itself as Europe's Next Gas Hub

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After decades of isolation, Algiers plans to use its energy wealth to engage with the world, but its lack of economic diversification will hamper this process.

Algeria Emerges From Isolation, but Its Economy and Foreign Policy Will Limit Change

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Supporters of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo clash with riot police in Lima on Dec. 11, 2022, during a demonstration demanding Castillo's release and early legislative elections. 

The Weekly Rundown: Putin Visits Belarus, Peru Sets an Election Date Amid Protests

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 17, 2022, in Brussels.

The Weekly Rundown: Jokowi Visits Beijing, Macron Visits Sub-Saharan Africa

Demonstrators in Tunis, Tunisia, lift national flags during a protest on June 19, 2022, against President Kais Saied and the country’s upcoming constitutional referendum. 

President Saied's vision of a more centralized system of power, while less democratic, could ease the economic instability that has plagued the country since the 2011 revolution.

A New Constitution Returns Tunisia to Its Pre-Arab Spring Era

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Amid political instability and social unrest in Tunisia, the president has called for a constitutional referendum in July.

Essential Geopolitics: What to Know About Tunisia's Constitutional Referendum

Tunisia sits at the northwest corner of North Africa, and is divided geographically between its temperate, mountainous northern coastline, its warm, central plains, and its hot, dry Sahara Desert interior. To maintain its prosperity, Tunisia's primary geographic challenges are to manage the economic divide between its interior and coastline, while also defending the country's geographically open borders and trade routes with Europe. Though it lacks major natural resources, agriculture has flourished for centuries in Tunisia's mountainous north.    Tunisia's location on the Mediterranean is a double-edged sword. It provides it with access to trade routes while also opening it up to attacks from powerful states. Though the country's interior is much more defensible, the coastal region produces 85% of Tunisia's gross domestic product. Its capital and largest city, Tunis, sits on the Bay of Tunis where a natural harbor facilitates trade, but provides an easy landing point for invasion.     Beginning with the Roman conquest of Carthage in the second century B.C., Tunisia was under foreign occupation for much of its history. Its last occupation ended in 1956 when French colonization ceased, but trouble on Tunisia's southern border persists today.     To maintain prosperity, Tunisia needs access to European trade routes across the Mediterranean Sea. Doing so requires close relationships with powers strong enough to keep those routes open, and Tunisia has thus remained close with its powerful former colonizer, France. Because Tunisia is too weak to control or influence neighboring Algeria or Libya, it chooses to focus on maintaining its trade routes to Europe.

SITUATION REPORTS

Tunisia: Saied Pardons Social Media Critics

Tunisia: Prominent Opposition Leader Arrested

Tunisia: Presidential Elections Scheduled for Oct. 6

Tunisia: Tunisians Protest Against Stranded Migrants

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

Tunisia: NGOs Allege Intensifying Crackdown on Lawyers, Journalists

Tunisia, Europe: EU Plans $178M Deal To Curb Central Mediterranean Migration

Tunisia, Libya: Armed Clashes in Libya Result in Closure of Ras Ajdir Border Crossing

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