MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Tunisia has imposed martial law throughout the country at nighttime due to increased attacks on public and private property, the Tunisian Interior Ministry announced Friday.
"Given that the country has seen attacks on public and private property, and if the attacks continue, a threat might be posed to the homeland and the citizens' security.Tthe ministry decided starting from today, 22 January 2016, a curfew throughout the entire territory of the Republic from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. will be imposed,” the ministry said on its official Facebook account.
The ministry recalled that each violation of the curfew would be prosecuted, except for urgent health cases and work at nighttime.
Late last week, protests erupted in the Tunisian western Kasserine province, shortly after an unemployed man committed suicide. Protesters demanded to provide them with jobs, while authorities strengthened military patrols near all administrative buildings in the city. As protests grew violent and police used tear gas in clashes with protesters, over 20 people had been injured. In the wake of violence, the curfew was imposed in Kasserine.
Media reports suggest that the overall level of unemployment in Tunisia at the end of 2015 was 15.3 percent, while the Kasserine had the highest regional unemployment of 30 percent. One in three people who find themselves unemployed in Tunisia are university graduates.