US Says Tunisia President Weakened Democratic Controls

Tunisian President Kais Saied (Reuters)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (Reuters)
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US Says Tunisia President Weakened Democratic Controls

Tunisian President Kais Saied (Reuters)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (Reuters)

Tunisian President Kais Saied has caused "enormous concern" about where Tunisia is headed with moves that have weakened democratic checks and balances, US Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf said on Thursday.

Leaf told Reuters that after years of efforts to build democracy, "what we've seen in the last year and a half is the government taking Tunisia in a very different direction."

She voiced Washington's clearest criticism of Saied to date.

"There have been a number of moves over the past year by the president that frankly have weakened foundational principles of checks and balances," she said.

Saied seized most powers in 2021, shutting down parliament before passing a new constitution that gives himself near total sway.

Saied says his actions were legal and needed to save Tunisia from years of chaos while accusing his opponents of criminals, traitors, and terrorists.

Leaf said Saied's recent remarks that any judges who released suspects would be considered abetting them were "exactly the sort of commentary that has given us enormous concern about where Tunisia is headed, guided by this president."

She said many Tunisians were dissatisfied by the years following the 2011 revolution that brought democracy, but said, "to correct those deficiencies, you don't strip institutions of their power."

"I can think of no more important institution than an independent judiciary," she added.

Saied was criticized for comments last month that there was a criminal plot to change Tunisia's demography via illegal migration as he announced a crackdown on undocumented migrants.

"These were comments that created a terrible climate of fear, but more than that resulted in attacks on these very vulnerable people, attacks and a tidal wave of racist rhetoric," Leaf said.

Asked about Tunisian steps to reassure over migrant rights, which included more extended visas and a reminder to police on anti-racism laws, but not a retraction of Saied's comments on demographics, she said, "there's still work to be done."

Saied has rejected previous criticism as foreign interference.

"Friends speak to friends with honesty... we will criticize where criticism is merited. That's not interference," Leaf said.

The fate of Tunisia's efforts to secure a $1.9 billion IMF loan in support of reforms to help avert an economic collapse was in the government's own hands, she said.

"This is a package that they (the Tunisian government) negotiated, that they came up with, and for whatever reason, they still have not signed onto the package that they negotiated," she added.

"The international community is ready to support Tunisia when its leadership makes fundamental decisions about where it's going," she said, adding that until the government decided to sign its reform package, "our hands are tied."

Tunisia's decision to carry out reforms it suggested to the IMF was "a sovereign decision... and if they decide not to do that, we are keen to know what the plan B or C is," she said.



US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
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US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on what it said was a Houthi-linked petroleum smuggling and sanctions evasion network across Yemen and the United Arab Emirates in fresh action targeting the Iran-backed militant group.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said the two individuals and five entities sanctioned on Tuesday were among the most significant importers of petroleum products and money launderers that benefit the Houthis.

"The Houthis collaborate with opportunistic businessmen to reap enormous profits from the importation of petroleum products and to enable the group’s access to the international financial system," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender.

"These networks of shady businesses underpin the Houthis’ terrorist machine, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to disrupt these schemes."

Among those targeted on Tuesday was Muhammad Al-Sunaydar, who the Treasury said manages a network of petroleum companies between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates and was one of the most prominent petroleum importers in Yemen.

Three companies in his network were also designated, with the Treasury saying they coordinated the delivery of approximately $12 million dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum products with a US-designated company to the Houthis.

Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

In January, Trump re-designated the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization, aiming to impose harsher economic penalties in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against US warships defending the critical maritime area.

In May, the United States announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.

The Israeli military attacked Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday in its latest assault on the militants, who have been striking ships bound for Israel and launching missiles against it.