Riot police fired tear gas at angry protesters today as Tunisia's prime minister defended the decision to include members of the deeply unpopular old regime in a government shake-up aimed at quelling the country's simmering unrest.
Riot police fired tear gas at angry protesters today as Tunisia's prime minister defended the decision to include members of the deeply unpopular old regime in a government shake-up aimed at quelling the country's simmering unrest.
Tunisia's capital awoke to bustling, everyday life for the first time since its ousted president fled the country last week, but the peace quickly ended downtown as police lobbed tear gas to scatter about 200 protesters marching toward the interior ministry - many in the crowd coughing, sputtering and tearing up. Helicopters circled overhead.
Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi claimed that his announcement yesterday to include ministers from iron-fisted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's old guard in a new unity government was a necessary step "because we need them in this phase".
Tunisia has entered "an era of liberty," Ghannouchi said in an interview with France's Europe-1 radio posted on its website. "Give us a chance so that we can put in place this ambitious programme of reform".
He insisted the ministers chosen "have clean hands, in addition to great competence," suggesting that experienced officials are needed along with opposition leaders in a caretaker government to guide the country before free elections are held in coming months.
Ghannouchi pledged to free political prisoners and lift restrictions on a leading human rights group, the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights. He said the government would create three state commissions to study political reform, investigate corruption and bribery, and examine abuses during the recent upheaval.
The country has suffered riots, looting and an apparent settling-of-scores after Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday, as public protests spread over years of state repression, corruption, and a shortage of jobs for many educated young adults. The government announced that 78 civilians have died in the month of unrest.
The protests that forced out Ben Ali began last month after an educated but unemployed 26-year-old man set himself on fire when police confiscated the fruit and vegetables he was selling without a permit. The desperate act hit a nerve, sparking copycat suicides and focused anger against the regime into a widespread revolt.
Reports of self-immolations surfaced in Egypt, Mauritania and Algeria yesterday, in apparent imitation of the Tunisian events.
The downfall of the 74-year-old Ben Ali, who had taken power in a bloodless coup in 1987, served as a warning to other autocratic leaders in the Arab world. His Mediterranean nation, an ally in the US fight against terrorism and a popular tourist destination known for its wide beaches, deserts and ancient ruins, had seemed more stable than many in the region.
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