{"id":391423,"date":"2018-01-14T11:37:06","date_gmt":"2018-01-14T11:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=391423"},"modified":"2018-01-14T11:37:06","modified_gmt":"2018-01-14T11:37:06","slug":"tunisia-announces-reforms-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/01\/tunisia-announces-reforms-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Tunisia announces reforms after protests"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Tunisian government has announced a wave of social reforms, reacting to days of demonstrations by anti-austerity protesters.<\/p>\n
Protests broke out ahead of Sunday’s seventh anniversary of the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.<\/p>\n
Emergency government meetings were held in response to protests, which have seen more than 800 people arrested.<\/p>\n
President Beji Caid Essebsi is due to visit a district of Tunis on Sunday that has been the scene of protests.<\/p>\n
Opposition parties have called for more demonstrations on Sunday, saying that conditions have not improved since Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was deposed as president at the start of the so-called Arab Spring uprisings.<\/p>\n
When did the protests begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n Demonstrations in the North African country began on 7 January after the government announced New Year tax and price increases in its 2018 budget.<\/p>\n Rallies took place in at least 10 different areas, including the capital, Tunis. They began peacefully but clashes broke out between protesters and police, resulting in hundreds of arrests over several days.<\/p>\n The government accused demonstrators of setting fire to police cars and attacking officials. Some people tried to take over shopping malls and stores, while others blocked roads.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n