Tunisia protester death raises fears of more unrest A young protester was killed on Monday after a national guard vehicle “accidentally” ran him over in south Tunisia, raising fears of more social unrest in a region already rocked by weeks of protest.The death comes as tensions have risen between protesters and security forces outside the El Kamour oil and gas pumping station.
Protesters have been camping outside the desert installation in the Tataouine region for around a month, blocking trucks from entering, to demand a share of local resources and priority for jobs in the sector.
“The health ministry announces the accidental death of a young man, (run over) by the national guard. He was a protester,” it told AFP.
Interior ministry spokesman Yasser Mesbah later told reporters the man was hit by a national guard vehicle as it was reversing and died in hospital.
Security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators in El Kamour on Monday as they tried to storm the facility, local radio said, with another protest later reported in the city of Tataouine some 100km away.
Defence ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati said the protesters “used trucks to run down” barricades erected outside the installation.
The health ministry said 50 people were hospitalised after suffering from broken bones or the effects of tear gas during clashes with security forces both in El Kamour and Tataouine.
Mesbah said 13 policemen, six national guardsmen and a member of the civil protection unit were also wounded, with the latter in intensive care.
'We won't give up'
The demonstrator's death came two days after soldiers fired warning shots in El Kamour to deter protesters.
It was the first escalation of unrest since President Beji Caid Essebsi said earlier this month the army would protect key economic installations from being disrupted by protests over social and labour issues.
Late Sunday, the defence ministry in a statement warned the army would use force against anyone who tried to enter these installations.
The statement warned “all citizens of legal proceedings in the case of clashes with military or security units” and of possible casualties in “the case of a gradual escalation of use of force”.
“One must understand that attempting to enter by force an installation protected by the army... is not a peaceful act... It requires a reaction,” Oueslati told Express FM radio earlier Monday.
NAMPA/AFP