Hundreds of Tunisians protest against government, water shortages

Hundreds of Tunisians on Thursday demonstrated in the capital against President Kais Saied and issues including power cuts and drinking water shortages.

Protesters held up signs complaining of "thirst" and "darkness", in reference to an ongoing scarcity of drinking water and major electricity outages as the country grapples with high temperatures.

"Today, the Tunisian people are living in humiliation," former lawmaker Samir Ben Amor told AFP. "There's no water, no electricity, and no freedom."

Demonstrators also chanted against government repression and called for the release of "political detainees".

"We stand against the catastrophic situation in which Tunisia has now found itself," said veteran opposition leftist Ezzeddine Hazgui.

"There's no state left, no institutions -- just a man who ignores everything, leading the country," Hazgui added.

Tunisia emerged as the only democracy of the Arab Spring demonstrations of 2011, but since Saied staged a sweeping power grab in 2021, rights groups have criticised a major rollback on freedoms.

Dozens of Saied critics have been prosecuted or jailed, including on terrorism-related charges and under a law the president enacted in 2022 to prohibit "spreading false news".

The Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES) said it recorded hundreds of protests across the country in recent weeks, mostly against the drinking water shortages and power cuts.