Police clash with protesters in Tunisia amid rising civil unrest

OPA WIRE, Oct 23 (OPA) — Police deployed tear gas on Thursday to scatter protesters in the Tunis suburb of Ettadhamen after a man died while in custody on suspicion of drug dealing. The victim's family alleges he died due to police abuse, while local media reports suggest he died after swallowing narcotics. Demonstrators responded by blocking roads, burning tires, and throwing stones at security forces attempting to secure a National Guard station.

Similar unrest erupted in the southern town of Jebiniana, located in the Sfax governorate, where residents clashed with police following the death of a man during a security pursuit. In a separate incident in the coastal city of Sfax, students organized a protest and called for a university strike, blaming inadequate ambulance services for the death of a female student who suffered a cardiac emergency.

These incidents occur against a backdrop of severe economic and political instability under President Kais Saied. On Saturday, thousands gathered in the capital for the largest anti-government demonstration in years, accusing the administration of eroding democratic institutions and mismanaging the national economy. The government has increasingly utilized the judiciary to suppress dissent, including a four-year prison sentence handed down Wednesday to opposition politician Olfa Hamdi on charges of plotting against state security.

As public anger intensifies over failing infrastructure and poor public services, observers fear these localized flare-ups may signal a broader wave of civil unrest. The government remains under pressure to address the deepening crisis, yet recent military court rulings against political opponents suggest a hardening stance from the Saied administration toward its critics.