The News London 365
  • Breaking News
  • Lifestyle
  • Coronavirus
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Sport
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
London
+10°C
Privacy Policy
Copyright
Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Breaking News
  • Lifestyle
  • Coronavirus
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Sport
No Result
View All Result
The News London 365
No Result
View All Result
Home Coronavirus

Anger over Tunisia’s pandemic failures fuels political crisis By Reuters

The News London 365 by The News London 365
August 1, 2021
in Coronavirus
0
More than half of Australia's population under COVID-19 lockdowns By Reuters

By Jihed Abidellaoui

JENDOUBA, Tunisia (Reuters) – Waiting in line to receive a COVID-19 jab from the Tunisian army, Zubeir Bin Ammar was in little doubt that the military and President Kais Saied were succeeding where the government he removed from power had failed.

“May God bless the army and the president. I hope they let him rule because we live in a country that was run by mafia,” said Bin Ammar, a teacher. He showed scant concern as to whether Saied’s actions on July 25 constituted a coup and a threat to Tunisia’s young democracy, as his political adversaries claim.

“He followed the people on the streets, not political parties,” said Bin Ammar, who is married with children and lives in Jendouba, 150 km (93 miles) west of the capital Tunis.

Failures in dealing with spiralling COVID-19 cases in Tunisia stoked anger at the government in the weeks leading up to Saied’s decisions to sack Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspend parliament, with support from the army.

Coupled with a deep economic malaise, the COVID-19 crisis brought many Tunisians into the streets in protest at the government and the main parties in parliament, including the mainstream Islamist Ennahda, before Saied’s decision.

So far, around 940,000 people have been fully vaccinated among a population of 11.6 million. Tunisia has reported around 18,000 deaths and more than half a million infections. At one point last month it had the worst infection rate in Africa.

During a recent religious holiday, the government opened walk-in vaccination centres, but was unprepared for the large numbers who showed up to get a shot and, as people crowded into dense queues without social distancing, the supplies ran out.

DISCONTENT

That debacle was the final straw for many people in the government’s handling of the pandemic – and prompted Saied to announce soon afterwards that the military would take it over.

It proved a key moment in a long-running tussle between Saied and Mechichi in a system that gives the president direct control over foreign and military affairs while putting the government in charge of most domestic issues.

Tunisians had chafed for years at economic stagnation and deteriorating public services as politicians bickered. Saied, elected in 2019 as a political independent, was seen by many Tunisians as ready to challenge the dominant political parties.

When the pandemic descended on Tunisia last year, a tough initial lockdown delayed infections but hit poorer Tunisians by preventing them from working.

Subsequent attempts to impose lockdown measures were quickly rejected as unaffordable and the number of infections soared.

The hardship was felt most acutely in poorer regions like Jendouba in Tunisia’s northwest that vaccines were slow to reach. Years of misgovernance had meanwhile undermined a public health sector that was once a point of national pride.

“In every household we have a funeral and we have pain and wounds,” said Hatem Hawawi, whose 71-year-old aunt Mehreza died of COVID-19. He decried what he called years of government neglect to maintain the health system.

“We don’t want to hold one or two people accountable. That doesn’t work. The government did not give value to the citizen,” he said.

Deploying the army to join the pandemic response appeared popular in Jendouba despite the possibility this could undermine the military’s apolitical reputation – after it stood aside in 2011 to allow the revolution against an entrenched autocracy.

“They should have given this responsibility to the army (already),” said Ammar.

Previous Post

Tokyo Olympics: Gymnast Max Whitlock wins gold in men’s pommel horse for Team GB | UK News

Next Post

Supreme Court Reveals a 3-3-3 Divide as Major Abortion Case Hangs in the Balance

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECENT NEWS

Should we actually delete our period tracking apps in the UK? We ask the experts

Should we actually delete our period tracking apps in the UK? We ask the experts

June 29, 2022
How to reduce your screen time this summer, according to an expert

How to reduce your screen time this summer, according to an expert

June 29, 2022
Woman feels ‘free’ now she’s stopped shaving and is letting her beard grow

Woman feels ‘free’ now she’s stopped shaving and is letting her beard grow

June 29, 2022
Nicola Sturgeon asks courts to rule on Scottish independence vote in October 2023

Nicola Sturgeon asks courts to rule on Scottish independence vote in October 2023

June 29, 2022
Nicola Sturgeon’s two-pronged approach to gaining Scottish independence

Nicola Sturgeon’s two-pronged approach to gaining Scottish independence

June 29, 2022
Boris Johnson looks for love on the world stage

Boris Johnson looks for love on the world stage

June 29, 2022

Categories

Breaking News Coronavirus Daily Devotionals Food Health and Science Lifestyle Politics Sport What's On

Recent News

Should we actually delete our period tracking apps in the UK? We ask the experts

Should we actually delete our period tracking apps in the UK? We ask the experts

June 29, 2022
The News London 365

  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Breaking News
  • Lifestyle
  • Coronavirus
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Sport

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT