Latest news with #KaisSaied
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Tunisia: Key pillars of 2026 Finance Bill at heart of Cabinet Meeting
Tunis – Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri on Tuesday chaired a Cabinet Meeting, dedicated to monitoring the preparation of the 2026 finance bill. The PM pointed out that the 2026 finance bill shows the State's policy and strategic direction, which revolves around a balance between social justice and economic growth. She further stated that the bill must serve as a lever for addressing structural challenges and achieving the objectives of the 2026–2030 development plan, which is based on a bottom-up approach, starting at the local level, then moving through the regional level, and finally to the national level, in line with the vision of President Kais Saied. Zenzri underlined that the finance bill should not be reduced to mere figures and percentages but must reflect the will of the people, marking a break with past approaches that failed to guarantee fairness and justice. She also underscored the need to align the bill with the state's strategic orientations, by promoting autonomy and adopting innovative financing mechanisms, relying on new approaches that break away from traditional methods, in order to respond to global economic shifts and geopolitical pressures. She called creating a new economic and social model, through a comprehensive review of legislation, to establish a genuine balance between growth and social justice. The Cabinet reviewed the main components of the 2026 finance bill, notably strengthening the foundations of the social state by improving support for vulnerable and low-income groups and supporting their economic inclusion, while also addressing unemployment through the opening of public sector recruitment in 2026 and the regularisation of several employment situations. It also focuses on investing in regional development, relying on the outcomes of work by local, regional, and district councils in drafting the 2026–2030 development plan. Additional priorities include boosting public investment as a catalyst for private investment, supporting communitarian companies and small and medium-sized businesses, launching reforms in the health, transport, and education sectors, accelerating investment in renewable energy, integrating the informal economy, and ensuring fiscal justice. © Tap 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Tunisia leader shows Trump adviser Massad Boulos images of starving Gaza children
Tunisian President Kais Saied presented US counterpart Donald Trump's senior Africa adviser with photographs of starving children in Gaza, official video of their meeting posted late Tuesday showed. Saied told US envoy Massad Boulos, who is also the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, that 'it is time for all of humanity to wake up and put an end to these crimes against the Palestinian people.' 'I believe you know these images well,' Saied was seen telling the envoy as he showed a photograph of what he described as 'a child crying, eating sand in occupied Palestine.' Saied showed Boulos several more images, saying that Palestinians in Gaza were subjected to crimes against humanity. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than two million people have endured 21 months of devastating conflict. 'It is absolutely unacceptable,' Saied was heard saying as Boulos stood silently, occasionally nodding. 'It is a crime against all of humanity.' More than 100 aid organizations warned on Wednesday that 'mass starvation' was spreading across the Gaza Strip and that their own colleagues were suffering acutely from the shortages. The head of Gaza's largest hospital said on Tuesday that 21 children had died from malnutrition and starvation in the Palestinian territory in the previous three days. Israel says humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering, including by stealing food handouts to sell at inflated prices or shooting at those awaiting aid. Following his visit to Tunisia, Boulos flew on to the Libyan capital Tripoli on Wednesday, Tunisian media reported.
Morocco World
2 days ago
- Health
- Morocco World
At Least 10 Palestinians Died Due to Forced Starvation in Gaza in 24 Hours
Rabat – At least 10 people died due to forced starvation and malnutrition in Gaza over the past 24 hours, local medical sources confirmed today. At least 25 children died in the past three days due to hunger-related causes, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported today, stressing that the situation is 'growing more desperate by the hour.' The same source identified the estimated number of children suffering from hunger in the region at 900,000, of whom 70,000 have entered critical stages of malnutrition. People with kidney diseases and diabetes face a serious risk due to malnutrition, while many are experiencing other acute medical crises as Israeli Occupation Forces continue their blockade to deprive Palestinians of essential supplies. According to Al Jazeera, the total number of people who starved to death in Gaza reached 111 as of today. The news outlet said at least 80 children have died from malnutrition since the Israeli authorities launched their genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. Many world leaders and protesters have been denouncing the worsening plight of Palestinians. Converging reports made headlines recently of Tunisian President Kais Saied's meeting with US President's top Africa adviser Massad Boulos. During that meeting, Kais Saied showed the US official images of starving children in Gaza. An official video of the meeting shows the Tunisian president saying: 'It is time for all of humanity to wake up and put an end to these crimes against the Palestinian people…. I believe you know these images well.' The Tunisian president called the situation 'absolutely unacceptable,' describing the situation as a 'crime against all of humanity.' As starvation continues, IOF exacerbates the situation with airstrikes and bombardment. In the past 24 hours, IOF killed at least 100 Palestinians, including 34 aid seekers. The death toll since October 2023 has reached at least 59,219 people, while over 143,045 have sustained injuries. Since May 27, IOF also killed 100 paid seekers, with over 7,207 injured. Tags: AI and Gaza genocideChildren injured in Gaza
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Once a beacon of hope, Tunisia's civil society struggles to survive
TUNIS: In May 2024, Tunisian activist Cherifa Riahi was arrested just two months after giving birth, accused of harboring illegal migrants. Over a year later, she is still in prison without charge. Rights groups see Riahi's case as a symbol of accelerating repression of civil society under President Kais Saied, who dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. The crackdown marks a significant turnaround for Tunisia, where civil society groups flourished in the wake of the 2011 uprising that unseated President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, inspired other Arab Spring uprisings, and helped shape a democratic transition. • Activists subject to detentions, threats • Groups report asset freezes and raids • President accuses them of serving foreign agendas As head of a refugee support group, Riahi had been helping sub-Saharan asylum seekers and other migrants find housing and access medicine and food. Her family says she did nothing wrong. The forced separation from her daughter and young son has been traumatic. 'The girl doesn't recognize her mother at all,' Riahi's mother Farida, who is now caring for her grandchild, told Reuters at their family home in La Marsa near the capital, Tunis. 'They took her while she was breastfeeding. We didn't even have time to understand what was happening.' Since Saied's power grab, at least a dozen civil society figures like Riahi have been detained on allegations activists denounce as fabricated, according to rights groups and lawyers. At least 10 civil society groups have had their assets frozen and offices raided, they say. The Tunisian General Labour Union, which won the 2015 Nobel peace prize with other civil society groups and could once bring tens of thousands onto the streets, has been sapped by the arrests of junior officials on corruption charges. The Tunisian government's media office did not respond to calls and written questions seeking comment about Riahi's case and those of other activists and civil society groups. Saied, 67, has accused civil society groups of 'serving foreign agendas' and undermining national unity. He has said he will not be a dictator and that freedom and democracy will be preserved, but that he will not allow chaos or interference through foreign funding or organizations that represent a 'tool of treason.' Activists warn that some of Tunisia's last surviving democratic gains are at risk as the judiciary, media and parliament have all come under tighter executive control and most opposition party leaders are in prison. 'The attack on civil society organizations is not an isolated incident,' said Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, an independent advocacy group. 'It comes within the context of the authorities' plan to close civic space and to end the democratic openness achieved by Tunisians after January 14, 2011.' 'SEEN AS ENEMIES' In Tunis, the offices of I Watch, an anti-corruption watchdog founded after the 2011 revolution, used to bustle with dozens of employees, volunteers and journalists. These days, only three employees work on-site. Dozens work remotely, some fearing raids or arrests. Wajdi Belloumi, I Watch's president, said its bank transfers have been hindered and official investigations into the group are piling up. Hotels have stopped renting spaces for the group's events, citing vague instructions from authorities, Belloumi said. Last year, the electoral commission refused for the first time to allow I Watch to monitor elections due to suspicions of foreign funding. 'We're seen as enemies now,' Belloumi told Reuters. 'Many volunteers are afraid. Whistle-blowers have gone quiet. The pressure is everywhere — legal, financial, even personal.' Ben Amor said he had received anonymous threats and started looking over his shoulder in public spaces. 'People start saying, 'This man must be gotten rid of',' he said, referring to comments sent in private messages, or ''your son studies at that school, your daughter studies at that school ... I saw you on that street'.' Foreign governments that once championed Tunisia's democratic transition now prioritize curbing migration and short-term stability, rights groups say. Ben Amor said he believed he had been targeted particularly after speaking out against Saied's recent anti-migrant rhetoric. In 2023, the same year Tunisia signed a pact with the European Union aimed at stemming migration across the Mediterranean, Saied said illegal immigration was part of a 'conspiracy' to alter Tunisia's demographics. Since then, authorities have dismantled tents and carried out forced deportations — the campaign amid which Riahi was detained. Though the space for civil society groups is shrinking by the day, Belloumi said he remains committed. 'We chose this path — transparency, justice, accountability,' he said. 'And we're not walking away.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Once a beacon of hope, Tunisia's civil society struggles to survive
By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) -In May 2024, Tunisian activist Cherifa Riahi was arrested just two months after giving birth, accused of harbouring illegal migrants. Over a year later, she is still in prison without charge. Rights groups see Riahi's case as a symbol of accelerating repression of civil society under President Kais Saied, who dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. The crackdown marks a significant turnaround for Tunisia, where civil society groups flourished in the wake of the 2011 uprising that unseated President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, inspired other Arab Spring uprisings, and helped shape a democratic transition. As head of a refugee support group, Riahi had been helping sub-Saharan asylum seekers and other migrants find housing and access medicine and food. Her family says she did nothing wrong. The forced separation from her daughter and young son has been traumatic. "The girl doesn't recognise her mother at all," Riahi's mother Farida, who is now caring for her grandchild, told Reuters at their family home in La Marsa near the capital, Tunis. "They took her while she was breastfeeding. We didn't even have time to understand what was happening." Since Saied's power grab, at least a dozen civil society figures like Riahi have been detained on allegations activists denounce as fabricated, according to rights groups and lawyers. At least 10 civil society groups have had their assets frozen and offices raided, they say. The Tunisian General Labour Union, which won the 2015 Nobel peace prize with other civil society groups and could once bring tens of thousands onto the streets, has been sapped by the arrests of junior officials on corruption charges. The Tunisian government's media office did not respond to calls and written questions seeking comment about Riahi's case and those of other activists and civil society groups. Saied, 67, has accused civil society groups of "serving foreign agendas" and undermining national unity. He has said he will not be a dictator and that freedom and democracy will be preserved, but that he will not allow chaos or interference through foreign funding or organisations that represent a "tool of treason." Activists warn that some of Tunisia's last surviving democratic gains are at risk as the judiciary, media and parliament have all come under tighter executive control and most opposition party leaders are in prison. "The attack on civil society organisations is not an isolated incident," said Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, an independent advocacy group. "It comes within the context of the authorities' plan to close civic space and to end the democratic openness achieved by Tunisians after January 14, 2011." 'SEEN AS ENEMIES' In Tunis, the offices of I Watch, an anti-corruption watchdog founded after the 2011 revolution, used to bustle with dozens of employees, volunteers and journalists. These days, only three employees work on-site. Dozens work remotely, some fearing raids or arrests. Wajdi Belloumi, I Watch's president, said its bank transfers have been hindered and official investigations into the group are piling up. Hotels have stopped renting spaces for the group's events, citing vague instructions from authorities, Belloumi said. Last year, the electoral commission refused for the first time to allow I Watch to monitor elections due to suspicions of foreign funding. "We're seen as enemies now," Belloumi told Reuters. "Many volunteers are afraid. Whistle-blowers have gone quiet. The pressure is everywhere — legal, financial, even personal." Ben Amor said he had received anonymous threats and started looking over his shoulder in public spaces. "People start saying, 'This man must be gotten rid of'," he said, referring to comments sent in private messages, or "'your son studies at that school, your daughter studies at that school ... I saw you on that street'". Foreign governments that once championed Tunisia's democratic transition now prioritise curbing migration and short-term stability, rights groups say. Ben Amor said he believed he had been targeted particularly after speaking out against Saied's recent anti-migrant rhetoric. In 2023, the same year Tunisia signed a pact with the European Union aimed at stemming migration across the Mediterranean, Saied said illegal immigration was part of a "conspiracy" to alter Tunisia's demographics. Since then, authorities have dismantled tents and carried out forced deportations -- the campaign amid which Riahi was detained. Though the space for civil society groups is shrinking by the day, Belloumi said he remains committed. "We chose this path -- transparency, justice, accountability," he said. "And we're not walking away." Solve the daily Crossword
