Politics

Tunisia: Hundreds of protesters hit Tunis in support of President Saied’s ‘revolution’

Published

3 years ago

May 8, 2022

Pro-government protesters on Sunday hit the street in the centre of Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis in support of President Kais Saied.

The demonstrators, who were in hundreds, displayed banners with words of support and chanted slogans calling for an end to what they described as “corrupt politicians”.

The protesters gathered on Bourguiba Avenue in the centre of the capital, the epicentre of widespread protests that toppled former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

President Said sacked the government, suspended parliament, and seized a string of powers in July 2021. In December of the same year, he announced in a speech on national television a three-month “popular consultation” with the Tunisian people after which “draft constitutional and other reforms will be put forward to a referendum on July 25”.

One of the supporters of President Saied, Lotfi Hamdi, who is a French-Tunisian university professor said “until today we have not seen much…but we hope that he (Kais Saied, ed.) will lead Tunisia and bring it back to good governance.”

“Good governance means judging the thugs, the thieves, the traffickers, those who have starved the Tunisian people, those who have plundered the wealth of Tunisia,” he said.

Another supporter and civil society activist, Hasna Jiballah, added: “we want all those who betrayed Tunisia to be prosecuted. Whether it is in the eyes of the law or before God, we do not want this to happen in a spirit of revenge or exclusion. We want them to be prosecuted to the extent of the offences they have committed. Finally, this must be done within the framework of independent justice, with independent, fair, and patriotic judges”.

There has been a lot of outcry against president Saied’s tight hand on government institutions and structures. Last month, opposition parties say vow to boycott any referendum on political changes by the president and pledged to oppose it.

In February, Opposition protesters also hit the streets in Tunis, capital city of Tunisia in a demonstration against President Kais Saied’s power grab and the economic crisis in the North African country.

Tunisia has not been politically stable eleven years after the Arab uprising which started in Tunisia in 2011.

Related Topics:Featured President Saied Tunisia

Click to comment

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.