Tunisian Labor Union Urges New PM Appointment

A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)
A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)
TT
20

Tunisian Labor Union Urges New PM Appointment

A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)
A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)

Tunisia’s powerful labor union on Tuesday urged the president to rapidly announce a new government some nine days after he seized executive control in a move his opponents called a coup.

President Kais Saied has defended his actions as constitutional and said he will govern alongside a new prime minister during an emergency period, but nine days after his intervention, he has yet to name one.

“We can’t wait 30 days for the announcement of a government,” said Sami Tahri, a spokesman for the UGTT union, one of Tunisia’s most powerful political forces.

“We must speed up the formation of the government to be able to face economic and health challenges,” he said.

Saied’s sudden intervention on July 25 appeared to have widespread public support but prompted fears for the future of the democratic system that Tunisia adopted after its 2011 revolution.

He is also still to announce a roadmap to end an emergency period that he initially set at one month but later announced could be two months.

A source close to the presidential palace in Carthage said Saied may announce the new prime minister on Tuesday. Sources have told Reuters that Central Bank Governor Marouane Abassi and two former finance ministers, Hakim Hammouda and Nizar Yaich, are contenders.

Saied’s opponent, the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, has meanwhile been riven by internal splits over its response to the crisis and its longer-term strategy and leadership.

Tunisians had over the past decade grown ever more frustrated by economic stagnation, corruption and bickering among a political class that often seemed more focused on its own narrow interests than on national problems.

The coronavirus pandemic ripped through Tunisia over the past two months as the state vaccination effort crawled, leading at one point to the worst infection and death rates in Africa.

Pandemic counter measures last year hammered the economy.

On Monday Saied replaced the finance, agriculture and telecoms ministers after having said last week that “wrong economic choices” had cost the country. On Sunday he said there were contacts with “friendly countries” for financial assistance.



US Campaign Against Houthis Expected to Expand

A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)
A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)
TT
20

US Campaign Against Houthis Expected to Expand

A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)
A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)

The US campaign against the Houthis, launched by President Donald Trump, entered its third week with new airstrikes targeting the group’s strongholds.

Late Tuesday into Wednesday, the strikes hit Houthi positions in Saada province in the north, Hajjah province, and extended to the coastal governorate of Hodeidah along the Red Sea.

This comes amid growing anticipation of expanded operations, following the deployment of a second US aircraft carrier to the region.

While the Houthis claimed to have targeted US forces in the northern Red Sea with drones and missiles, a Yemeni minister revealed widespread panic among the group's leaders.

He noted that they had begun selling off properties and smuggling their families out via Sana’a airport.

Trump ordered the campaign against the Houthis on March 15, aiming to force the group to halt threats to maritime security.

He vowed to use “deadly force” and “eliminate them entirely” after the Houthis escalated attacks following the collapse of the second phase of the Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas.

Houthi media reported that airstrikes targeted the al-Mansuriyah district in Hodeidah, claiming they hit a water project and killed four civilians. The group also acknowledged that eastern Saada city was struck by five air raids.

The US campaign is expected to expand in the coming days after Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the deployment of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to the Middle East.

It will join the Harry S. Truman, which is currently leading strikes against the Houthis.

With the group remaining tight-lipped about its military losses, including equipment and senior figures, the full impact of the US offensive on its capabilities remains unclear.

Meanwhile, the Houthis’ defense minister claimed they were prepared for a “long-term confrontation.”

The Houthis joined the regional escalation following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, launching around 200 missiles and drones toward Israel.

However, the attacks had little military impact, with the only reported fatality occurring in Tel Aviv in June.