Tunisia interior minister sacked

Government acts to placate public anger and frees those detained during ongoing protests over unemployment and graft. Last Modified: 12 Jan 2011 13:57 GMT

The wave of violence was unleashed by the suicide of an unemployed graduate on December 17 [AFP] The Tunisian president has sacked his interior minister after a deadly wave of violent unrest reached the capital, Tunis, for the first time. Rafik Belhaj Kacem, who was responsible for the police force which has been widely criticised for its ruthless response to the protests, was dismissed on Wednesday. Soldiers were earlier deployed in the centre of Tunis after violence flared in the capital for the first time overnight. Armoured vehicles rumbled through Tunis and troops took up positions at major intersections and the entrance to the Cite Ettadhamen quarter where rioters burnt vehicles and attacked government offices late on Tuesday. It was the first rioting in the capital since protests over unemployment erupted in mid-December, turning violent in the west of the country at the weekend when security forces opened fire on demonstrators. The government said 21 people were killed in three days of unrest in the western Kasserine region, and that security forces acted in self-defence, but labour unions and rights groups said more than 50 were killed. Meanwhile sources told Al Jazeera that five people had been killed in fresh clashes between protesters and security forces in the south. Protesters 'released' Mohamed Ghannouchi, the prime minister, told a press conference on Wednesday that all those arrested in the wave of demonstrations had been released, but gave no figure for how many had been originally detained. Read more about Tunisia's unrest on the spotlight page Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, the president, had only a few days earlier accused the rioters of committing acts of terrorism. People taking part in the unrest say they are angry about unemployment, corruption and what they say is a repressive government. Ghannouchi also said that allegations by opposition and non-government groups into corruption would be investigated by a special commission. Government officials say the protests have been hijacked by a minority of violent extremists who want to undermine Tunisia. Radwan Masmoudi, an expert on Tunisia, told Al Jazeera that the president's change in direction is a beginning, but people's demands are for greater reform and genuine democracy. "I think it has finally dawned on the president that these demands are not going to go away," Masmoudi said. "He realises he has to make some serious changes and not just of people but in policies. "People see corruption as the main problem in Tunisia so there is a tie beteeen economic development and political institutions to guard against corruption." Also on Wednesday the European Union condemned the "disproportionate" use of force by police against demonstrators during the deadly protests. Catherine Ashton, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief, said the violence in Tunisia was "unacceptable" and that those responsible "must be identified and brought to justice". The rare unrest in tightly controlled Tunisia was unleashed by the suicide of a 26-year-old graduate who set himself on fire on December 17 after police prevented him from selling fruit and vegetables to make a living.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies