Western leaders to boycott Francophonie Summit to take place in Tunisia

Western leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Justin Trudeau have not confirmed their presence at the XVIII Summit of La Francophonie to take place in Tunisia, on the island of Djerba in the month of November, reportedly over ongoing exceptional measures adopted by President Kais Saied.

Scheduled for November 20-21 under theme “Connectivity in diversity: The Digital as a vector of development and solidarity in the Francophone space”, the biannual summit is set to bring together dozens of French-speaking nations and international organizations.

The event was set to take place last year but has been postponed to 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigative media, Tunisie Numerique, revealed that President Macron and Canadian Premier Trudeau have not booked their place for the summit.

The two leaders, the media notes, are concerned about the political situation in the North African country.

President Saied has since July 25 seized all major powers including the executive and legislature on the back of article 80 of the Constitution, in what he described as “move to restore the country from corrupt individuals”.

World leaders refrained from condemning the move hoping to see a quick restoration of democracy but the Tunisian leader has prolonged his manoeuvers until further notice.

The western leaders are also worried about travel bans and house arrests imposed on dozens of State officials, lawmakers, lawyers and business people.

The restrictions are contrary to the principles of the organization that champions human rights, freedom and peace.