Tunisians protest at party HQ
Source: Agencies |
January 21, 2011, Friday
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THE Tunisian army fired warning shots in the capital yesterday as demonstrators marched toward the headquarters of the longtime ruling party, and government ministers quit the party in a desperate attempt to keep their jobs.
Demonstrators have criticized the country's new unity government announced on Monday for being mostly made up of old-guard politicians from the ruling party. They are seeking the disbanding of the RCD party, founded by ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday after 23 years in power.
Outside the gates of the party headquarters in Tunis, the army fired about 10 rounds into the air, scattering some -protesters in the noisy but peaceful crowd. Others remained, chanting, "Down with the RCD!"
The warning shots came after a period of relative calm in Tunisia, which has been rattled by more than a month of unrest over the lack of jobs and corruption in Ben Ali's regime. Police even let protesters break a curfew on Thursday to hold a sit-in near the Interior Ministry.
A caretaker government is now struggling to calm this moderate Muslim nation on the Mediterranean Sea.
Although the unity government has included a few opposition leaders for the first time, demonstrators say that the big jobs are still in the hands of Ben Ali's cronies.
Members of the interim government who belonged to the longtime ruling party quit the party on Thursday. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and interim President Fouad Mebazaa had already quit the RCD earlier in the week.
National television also reported that least 33 members of Ben Ali's family were taken into custody as they tried to flee the country, and national -prosecutors are investigating overseas bank accounts, real estate and other assets held by Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi and other relatives.
Demonstrators have criticized the country's new unity government announced on Monday for being mostly made up of old-guard politicians from the ruling party. They are seeking the disbanding of the RCD party, founded by ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday after 23 years in power.
Outside the gates of the party headquarters in Tunis, the army fired about 10 rounds into the air, scattering some -protesters in the noisy but peaceful crowd. Others remained, chanting, "Down with the RCD!"
The warning shots came after a period of relative calm in Tunisia, which has been rattled by more than a month of unrest over the lack of jobs and corruption in Ben Ali's regime. Police even let protesters break a curfew on Thursday to hold a sit-in near the Interior Ministry.
A caretaker government is now struggling to calm this moderate Muslim nation on the Mediterranean Sea.
Although the unity government has included a few opposition leaders for the first time, demonstrators say that the big jobs are still in the hands of Ben Ali's cronies.
Members of the interim government who belonged to the longtime ruling party quit the party on Thursday. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and interim President Fouad Mebazaa had already quit the RCD earlier in the week.
National television also reported that least 33 members of Ben Ali's family were taken into custody as they tried to flee the country, and national -prosecutors are investigating overseas bank accounts, real estate and other assets held by Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi and other relatives.
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