Tunisia - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Tunisia cover image

Tunisia

August 22, 2026

Tunis 3:49 pm

33°C

Members and supporters of the Nafas movement take part in an anti-government protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, chanting "Degage" and calling for political change, in Tunis,Tunisia on August 20,2026. (Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

Tunisia’s water, power crisis fuels growing protests against Saied: What to know

A utility crisis is giving momentum to opposition forces challenging Saied’s grip on power.

From Egypt to Lebanon: What’s at stake for regional states on Trump’s visa ban list?

The State Department claimed that citizens from the affected countries are more likely to use social welfare services at a high rate.

Residents of the city of Gabes carry placards during a demonstration on Oct. 15, 2025, to demand the closure of chemical factories.

Over 200 hospitalized in Tunisia’s Gabes as anger over pollution crisis grows

President Kais Saied is facing one of his biggest challenges yet as demands for the closure of the city’s phosphate processing plant increase.

Latest News

Italy’s Meloni discusses immigration, economic ties on Tunisia visit: What to know

Meloni Saied

Analysis

Middle East braces for Trump's tariffs: Gulf gains, North Africa strains as both hedge

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: U.S. President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House followed by granddaughter Chloe after returning on Marine One on July 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump returned to the White House with his family after a trip to Scotland that was part vacation, part work, as he stayed at his Trump Turnberry golf course, followed by Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, from July 25 to 29. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Analysis

Trump tariffs, BRICS threats unlikely to erode Middle East’s trade war edge

MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

From Iraq to Algeria, Trump’s looming tariffs could target 4 MENA countries

US President Donald Trump holds up a chart while speaking during a “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Tunisian demonstrators take part in a rally against President Kais Saied, called for by the opposition "National Salvation Front" coalition, in the capital Tunis, on December 10, 2022. (Photo by FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

The Takeaway: Tunisia's Saied visits US, days before controversial elections

Plus, Iran is expelled from a United Nations women's rights body and Morocco's underdog team is knocked out of the World Cup.

Cranes and containers are pictured on November 12, 2014, in the Tunisian port city of Rades. The World Bank said in a report published last September that Tunisia's economic model of manufacturing for exports and protecting the domestic market was valid in the 1970s but since then had hindered progress. AFP PHOTO / FETHI BELAID (Photo credit should read FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

Tunisia’s potential IMF deal to boost manufacturing investments

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

World Cup

Culture

Iran, Saudi, other MidEast teams warm up in Qatar as World Cup approaches

Iran is looking to advance to the second round for the first time ever, but the team is mired in controversy over the protests in the country while host Qatar itself is facing criticism at home.

A woman walks over cracked earth at al-Massira dam in Ouled Essi Masseoud village, some 140 kilometres (85 miles) south from Morocco's economic capital Casablanca, on August 8, 2022 amidst the country's worst drought in at least four decades. - Residents of Morocco's Ouled Essi Masseoud village are suffering from a series of successive droughts, prompting them to rely solely on sporadic supplies in public fountains and from private wells. The situation is critical, given the village's position in the agricu

Water stress to remain major driver of social instability, barrier to economic growth in Maghreb

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Moroccans raise placards as they gather in front of parliament in the capital Rabat to protest against rising prices, on February 20, 2022. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Inflation in Maghreb will continue to undercut real wages and feed social discontent

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Ons Jabeur

Culture

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur falls short in US Open final

Jabeur is by far the most successful tennis player to come out of North Africa, but has yet to win a Grand Slam tournament.

Tunisia food

Tunisians watch prices of most consumer goods soar

Tunisians have seen their purchasing power plummet in recent days, amid a market shortage of basic goods, soaring prices of most consumer goods and warnings of possible nationwide protests.

Tunisian citizens and lawyers leave the court of the governorate of Ariana after the announcement of a strike by judges, following the dissolution of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary by President Kais Saied, Feb. 9, 2022.

Tunisian president targets judiciary, dismisses dozens of judges

Tunisian President Kais Saied has dismissed 57 judges, accusing them of obstructing investigations into terrorism cases and committing financial and moral corruption.

This photo shows the interior of El-Ghriba synagogue, the oldest Jewish monument built in Africa, on the first day of the annual pilgrimage, Djerba island, Tunisia, April 26, 2021.

Culture

Jewish pilgrimage to Tunisian island stirs calls for criminalizing normalization with Israel

The annual Jewish pilgrimage to El-Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia has rekindled the popular and political debate over the issuance of a law criminalizing normalization with Israel.

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia plays a forehand.

Culture

Women’s Tennis Association adds tournament in Tunisia following Ons Jabeur’s success

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur is quickly becoming one of the top competitors in the sport.

Tunisia

Tunisia’s president to establish 'new republic' amid fear of new dictatorship

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has announced plans for a new constitution and a different system of government, which raises concerns among political and human rights circles about the possibility of imposing a dictatorship in the country.

People walk past Saint-Vincent de Paul Cathedral on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis on Dec. 14, 2021.

International pressure compounds Tunisian economic crisis

There are international and local concerns over the political and economic situation in Tunisia, which is hoping for a deal with the IMF in return for implementing reforms that are rejected by the powerful UGTT labor union.