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| Africa North |
| Tunisia offers concessions to security forces |
| 2011-02-04 |
| [Maghrebia] Tunisian police abandoned their posts earlier in the week as part of an informal strike to demand better working conditions. But calm returned to the country's streets on Tuesday (February 1st) after the government yielded to security forces' requests. Apprehension prevailed in Tunisian cities earlier in the week amid reports of gangs terrorising citizens and attacking schools and other public institutions. These gangs resorted to vandalising buildings in addition to robbing commercial stores, forcing the army to intervene. Soldiers stepped in to guard schools and comfort parents, many of whom pulled their children out of classes after the disorder. "We lived a terrible day yesterday," Jannat Fitouri, a mother who took her children out of school, said. "I hope that does not repeat itself because we live in a new phase that is supposed to be a concerted effort to cleanse the air and overcome the settling of scores for the benefit of the people." Jalila Ammari said she took her kids out of a nursery south of the capital after it was attacked by a masked gang that vandalised and stole the nursery equipment. In the city of Kasserine, hundreds of demonstrators gathered on Tuesday morning to condemn the state of chaos and violence that shook their city since Monday. "The objective of this demonstration is to demand an immediate solution which will end this unstable and chaotic situation that we've been living under in Kasserine in the complete absence of police forces," unionist Sadok Mahmoudi said. He also indicated that the demonstrators wanted the perpetrators behind the looting to be prosecuted. The Progressive Democratic Party announced its concern over the security situation in the country, calling upon the government to hasten the announcement of the replacement of governors in a further break from the previous regime. The government needed to urgently take measures to contain the security situation in the country as well as provide the appropriate circumstances that will guarantee the return of the security forces to their jobs, the Ettajdid party said on Tuesday. Ettajdid also added that the security forces' complaints regarding their monetary and security situation was taken advantage of by criminal gangs with links to the previous regime, spreading fear among citizens and violating their personal possessions. Interior Minister Farhat Rajhi accused elements of the security apparatus of being complicit in some of the crimes, but on Tuesday the ministry acceded to police demands in an effort to restore order. The ministry agreed to allow the security forces to form a union to safeguard their rights and represent them. In addition, the government agreed to raise salaries. On the other hand, the interior ministry removed 27 directors general and police constables by forcing them into early retirement as a way of cleaning house. Seven others were forced to retire as well. A new wave of appointments swept the ministry as new officials were placed in charge of different administrations. A police constable, who declined to provide his name, said he appreciated the concessions and considered it a positive step towards restoring trust between security officers and citizens. The officer added that the security forces' complaints were not only for the purpose of improving their social and economic lot or not even to create a union but for the sake of a shake-up of the establishment that will purge corrupt individuals who served personal agendas at the expense of the welfare of the nation. Comprehensive reform was needed within the ranks of the security apparatus in order to prevent them from working against the people, UN official Bacre Waly Ndiaye said on Tuesday. Ndiaye, who was in Tunisia as part of a UNHCR delegation, said such a step would avoid the violence between police and the people that was seen in recent weeks. |
| Posted by:Fred |