This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
Published on June 21, 2020, Tunisians in the southern region of Tataouine have been protesting for weeks, demanding that authorities fulfill a 2017 promise to provide jobs in the gas and oil sectors.
The protesters, who have been demonstrating for over a month, have set up a camp in the region and blocked roads around the El-Kamour pumping station to prevent tanker trucks from entering the facility.
However, the situation turned violent on Sunday after the arrest of Tarek Haddad, the spokesman for the protesters, who was identified as 'wanted' by the authorities.
According to the governor of Tataouine, Adel Werghi, the protesters' actions were 'illegal' as they had set up tents in the middle of streets.
But the protesters argue that they are simply demanding the fulfillment of a promise made in 2017, when the employment minister signed a deal with representatives of the protesters, pledging to invest 80 million Tunisian dinars a year (almost $28 million) in Tataouine.
However, the UGTT, the powerful Tunisian trade union confederation, claims that the promise was never kept.
