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Tunisia Likely to Establish National Unity Government

Tunisian parliament (File photo: AFP)
Tunisian parliament (File photo: AFP)
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Tunisia Likely to Establish National Unity Government

Tunisian parliament (File photo: AFP)
Tunisian parliament (File photo: AFP)

Tunisian President Kais Saied has held a series of consultations with parliamentary blocs to form a new government, which will most likely bring together the country’s different factions.

The national unity cabinet will include Ennahda Movement which several parties had sought to marginalize by rejecting to give their vote of confidence to a government led by its candidate for the premiership, Habib Jamali.

Jamali formed a government of independent figures with no links to the political parties that had won the parliamentary elections. But his line-up did not receive the support of a number of political parties.

Speaker Rachid Ghannouchi called on Ennahda to adopt dialogue with different factions to overcome historic differences that do not serve any political party.

Ghannouchi was speaking during the inauguration of Ennahda’s fourth youth conference.

Saied is expected to decide on the new Prime Minister-designate after meetings that included Hakim Ben Hammouda and Fadhel Abdelkef, both of whom are supported and nominated by a number of parliamentary blocs.

Observers believe the ongoing meetings indicate that the competition for the premiership has been limited to Ben Hammouda and Abdelkefi, two experts on the economy, which will be the next government’s top priority.

They assert the President may back Ben Hammouda to form the cabinet, while keeping all other options open.

Ben Hammouda revealed he presented his vision for the government program, pointing out that the main challenge in Tunisia is to rebuild the social contract.

He reviewed six major transformations through which the social contract can be reconstructed, stressing the importance of setting active policies to limit marginalization and poverty, and restore hope for Tunisians.

Abdelkefi was named by Jamali to assume the Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation (MDICI) in the government that failed to win the parliamentary vote of confidence. He also assumed the same post in the government of former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed

The President also met with Elyes Fakhfakh, candidate of the Democratic Current, led by Mohamed Abbou, and Tahya Tounes, led by Chahed. 

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Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills

A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills

A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)

Syria's new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

Captagon is a banned amphetamine-like stimulant that became Syria's largest export during the country's more than 13-year civil war, effectively turning it into a narco state under Assad.

"We found a large quantity of captagon, around one million pills," said a balaclava-wearing member of the security forces, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Osama, and whose khaki uniform bore a "public security" patch.

An AFP journalist saw forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol, and around 50 bags of pink and yellow captagon pills in a security compound formerly belonging to Assad's forces in the capital's Kafr Sousa district.

Captagon has flooded the black market across the region in recent years.

"The security forces of the new government discovered a drug warehouse as they were inspecting the security quarter," said another member of the security forces, who identified himself as Hamza.

Authorities destroyed the stocks of alcohol, cannabis, captagon and hashish in order to "protect Syrian society" and "cut off smuggling routes used by Assad family businesses", he added.

- Manufacturing sites -

Since an opposition alliance toppled Assad on December 8 after a lightning offensive, Syria's new authorities have said massive quantities of captagon have been found in former government sites around the country, including security branches.

AFP journalists in Syria have seen fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group set fire to what they said were stashes of captagon found at facilities once operated by Assad's forces.

Security force member Hamza confirmed Wednesday that "this is not the first initiative of its kind -- the security services, in a number of locations, have found other warehouses... and drug manufacturing sites and destroyed them in the appropriate manner".

Maher al-Assad, a military commander and the brother of Bashar al-Assad, is widely accused of being the power behind the lucrative captagon trade.

Experts believe Syria's former leader used the threat of drug-fueled unrest to put pressure on Arab governments.

Jordan in recent years has cracked down on the smuggling of weapons and drugs including captagon along its 375-kilometer (230-mile) border with Syria.