Social protests up by 21% (OST)

Tunis: Social protests rose by 21% in May compared with April 2024, according to a report by the Tunisian Social Observatory (OST), under the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES). Published on Thursday, the report revealed that May had seen the highest number of protests since the beginning of the year, with 248 social protests recorded, compared with 195 in April 2024. At the national level, the governorate of Gafsa reported the highest number of social protests with 55, thereby maintaining its position as the most protesting governorate for the 5th consecutive month. It was followed by the governorates of Kairouan and Kebili, each of which recorded 20 protests. In Tunis (4th position), 15 protests were registered. In May, lawyers topped the list of protesters, with a total of 75 movements. The unemployed came second, followed by workers, teachers and contract teachers, who demonstrated to demand the regularisation of their situation and the payment of their salaries. Other protests wer e staged to denounce the worsening infrastructure and power cuts, as well as movements related to migrants in Tunisia and the arrest of activists and journalists. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse