'Keep up the Fight', Urges Tunisian Street Vendor's Sister

Leila Bouazizi says she was 'very disappointed' in the outcome of the uprising, even if it toppled Tunisia's longterm ruler -  AFP
Leila Bouazizi says she was 'very disappointed' in the outcome of the uprising, even if it toppled Tunisia's longterm ruler - AFP
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'Keep up the Fight', Urges Tunisian Street Vendor's Sister

Leila Bouazizi says she was 'very disappointed' in the outcome of the uprising, even if it toppled Tunisia's longterm ruler -  AFP
Leila Bouazizi says she was 'very disappointed' in the outcome of the uprising, even if it toppled Tunisia's longterm ruler - AFP

Tunisians should keep up the fight for their rights, believes the sister of a street vendor who set himself alight a decade ago, triggering a string of protests around the Arab world.

But Leila Bouazizi admitted the revolt which flared in late 2010 has done little to solve the economic problems that pushed her brother, Mohamed, over the edge.

"Everyone thought the government would do something," she told AFP in Quebec, where she moved to study in 2013 and has lived ever since.

"Unfortunately, it did nothing," she added, saying she was "very disappointed" in the outcome of the uprising, even though it brought down the north African country's long-time ruler Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

Mohamed Bouazizi and his family lived in modest circumstances in the run-down central rural town of Sidi Bouzid.

Like many young, unemployed Tunisians, Mohamed, then 26, provided for his loved ones with the limited means at hand, selling whatever fruits and vegetables were in season.

On the morning of December 17, 2010, the police seized Mohamed's handcart -- which served as a makeshift stall -- and his merchandise.

After a series of petty harassments, it was the last straw. Mohamed doused himself in petrol and set himself alight.

"It was an accumulation of things that made him explode," said Leila, now aged 34.

At the time, she was studying in another town, but she recalled hearing that her brother had been slapped by a policewoman during an altercation, although this was never confirmed.

When Mohamed asked local authorities to investigate, "he didn't get a response", she said.

"He was really annoyed... That's why he took petrol and did what he did."

The young man succumbed to his wounds in early 2011.

But his act had sparked unprecedented mass demonstrations across Tunisia, super-charged by social media, which then ignited a series of revolts across the Middle East.

"When my brother did that act, everyone exploded and protested against the system," Leila said.

"Everyone wanted the situation to change," she added, saying her brother had been in "the same situation" as most young people.

In the wake of his death, the Bouazizi family received "lots of threats" -- including death threats -- as well as harassment both online and in the streets by people opposed to the revolution.

Rumors were rife that they had become rich.

"It was dangerous," said Leila. Her mother, surviving brothers and sisters managed to emigrate to Quebec where Leila lives in a residential district and works in the aeronautics industry.

She said they are "well integrated", but continue to follow events in Tunisia.

The country has seen some progress in the past decade, she says -- it has a new constitution and has organised several democratic elections.

"You can speak, you can demonstrate," she said, noting the lack of political freedoms during the 23-year rule of Ben Ali.

But a succession of governments has not fixed the economic situation, particularly tough for young people, Leila added.

"Every time there's a vote, they say 'we're going to do this, things will change,'" she said.

"But when they take power, nothing changes."

She criticized the lack of solid measures to reform Tunisia's failing health system or fix its decrepit infrastructure, with deadly floods following every major rainstorm.

And despite some political progress, young people in marginalized regions such as Sidi Bouzid still face unemployment three times the national average.

With rising prices, stagnant incomes and few opportunities even for the highly educated, "the situation might even be worse now" than before the revolution, said Leila.

Tragically, dozens of young people still set themselves alight every year in Tunisia, which has also seen a spike in numbers of people, particularly jobless youth, attempting dangerous sea crossings to Europe.

"It's not just my brother," she said. "Lots of people have lost their lives."

But, she said, "I hope that things will change."

"Many people are still protesting, speaking out, for change," she said. "It might take more than 10 years, but young people must carry on protesting, speaking out, to get their rights."



Israel Clears Final Hurdle to Start Settlement Construction That Would Cut West Bank in Two

Construction cranes tower above a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
Construction cranes tower above a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Clears Final Hurdle to Start Settlement Construction That Would Cut West Bank in Two

Construction cranes tower above a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
Construction cranes tower above a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 2, 2026. (AFP)

Israel has cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a controversial settlement project near Jerusalem that would effectively cut the West Bank into two, according to a government tender. 

The tender, seeking bids from developers, would clear the way to begin construction of the E1 project. 

The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now first reported the tender. Yoni Mizrahi, who runs the group’s settlement watch division, said initial work could begin within the month. 

Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to US pressure during previous administrations. 

The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace. 

The E1 project is especially contentious because it runs from the outskirts of Jerusalem deep into the occupied West Bank. Critics say it would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state in the territory. 

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who oversees settlement policy, has long pushed for the plan to become a reality. 

“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,” he said in August, when Israel gave final approval to the plan. “Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.” 

The tender, publicly accessible on the website for Israel’s Land Authority, calls for proposals to develop 3,401 housing units. Peace Now says the publication of the tender “reflects an accelerated effort to advance construction in E1.” 


Three Killed in Aleppo Attacks, Syrian Government, SDF Trade Blame

Syrian forces are seen during a military parade in Aleppo marking a year since the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2025. (Syrian Defense Ministry)
Syrian forces are seen during a military parade in Aleppo marking a year since the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2025. (Syrian Defense Ministry)
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Three Killed in Aleppo Attacks, Syrian Government, SDF Trade Blame

Syrian forces are seen during a military parade in Aleppo marking a year since the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2025. (Syrian Defense Ministry)
Syrian forces are seen during a military parade in Aleppo marking a year since the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2025. (Syrian Defense Ministry)

At least three people were killed and several others wounded in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, state news agency SANA said on Tuesday, citing Aleppo's health director, after deadly attacks for which Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces traded blame.

Syria's defense ministry said in a statement that the SDF had continued its "escalation" by targeting army positions and residential areas in Aleppo. The SDF denied its responsibility, saying that the ‌casualties were caused by "indiscriminate" ‌artillery and missile shelling by ‌factions ⁠aligned with ‌the Damascus government.

The violence came days after a meeting between senior officials from the SDF and the Damascus government on implementing a deal agreed nearly 10 months ago that aimed to fully integrate the semi-autonomous Kurdish region into the central Syrian government.

The agreement was ⁠meant to be implemented by the end of 2025, but ‌the two sides have made ‍little progress, each accusing ‍the other of stalling or acting in bad ‍faith.

The SDF is reluctant to give up autonomy it won as the main US ally during the war, which left it with control of ISIS prisons and rich oil resources.

Integrating the SDF into Syria's army would mend Syria's deepest remaining fracture, ⁠but failing to do so risks an armed clash that could derail the country's emergence from 14 years of war and potentially draw in Türkiye, which has threatened an incursion against Kurdish fighters it views as terrorists.

As progress falters, several rounds of fighting have broken out. On December 22, Syrian government forces and SDF agreed to de-escalate in the northern city of Aleppo, after a wave ‌of attacks that left at least two civilians dead and several wounded.


African Union Calls for Immediate Revocation of Somaliland’s Recognition by Israel

Somalis burn the Israel flag and an image depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration, after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, at the Mogadishu Stadium in Warta Nabada district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 30, 2025. (Reuters)
Somalis burn the Israel flag and an image depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration, after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, at the Mogadishu Stadium in Warta Nabada district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 30, 2025. (Reuters)
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African Union Calls for Immediate Revocation of Somaliland’s Recognition by Israel

Somalis burn the Israel flag and an image depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration, after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, at the Mogadishu Stadium in Warta Nabada district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 30, 2025. (Reuters)
Somalis burn the Israel flag and an image depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration, after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, at the Mogadishu Stadium in Warta Nabada district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 30, 2025. (Reuters)

The African Union's Political Affairs Peace and Security council called on Tuesday for the "immediate revocation" of Israel's recognition ‌of Somaliland.

Israeli ‌Foreign ‌Minister ⁠Gideon Sara ‌visited Somaliland on Tuesday on a trip that was denounced by Somalia, 10 ⁠days after Israel ‌formally recognized the ‍self-declared ‍republic as ‍an independent and sovereign state.

"The (AU) Council strongly condemns, in the strongest terms, the unilateral recognition of ⁠the so-called 'Republic of Somaliland' by Israel," it said in a post on X after a ministerial meeting.