TUNIS - Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi consulted with political parties, unions and employers Saturday as the government mulled a package of social reforms following a week of unrest triggered by austerity measures. The North African country has been shaken by a wave of protests over poverty and unemployment during which hundreds were arrested before the unrest tapered off. At the opening of his consultations, Essebsi accused the foreign press of "amplifying" the social unrest and damaging the country's image in its coverage of protests. "The social and political climate are not good in Tunisia," he acknowledged, but his government was confident it could "overcome the problems". Protests are common in Tunisia in January when people mark the anniversary of the revolution that ousted Ben Ali.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 14, 2018 04:41 UTC