First Independent Mena Newspaper
Tunisian bank workers commenced a two-day strike on Monday, disrupting all financial transactions as they pressed for wage increases. The action, organized by the influential UGTT union, followed the collapse of negotiations with the banking Council, which represents both public and private banks. Long queues formed at cash machines, though many appeared to be malfunctioning, […]
Tunisia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy has clarified that the decrease in production at the Al Borma oil field stems largely from a natural annual decline of approximately 8 percent, compounded by operational hurdles linked to the financial difficulties of the Italo-Tunisian Petroleum Exploitation and Distribution Company (SITEP). Responding to a parliamentary inquiry by […]
According to data released on Tuesday by Tunisia’s National Agriculture Office (ONAGRI), olive oil export revenues reached 3.6 billion dinars between November 2024 and the end of September 2025 – a 28.4% decline compared to the same period in the previous campaign. The share of packaged olive oil in total revenues remains low at 21.4%. […]
Algeria’s shaky regime grips Tunisia like a lifeline, preferring a compliant neighbour to a competitive one; it now treats the country as a de facto wilaya and backs Kaïs Saïed’s tenure to keep Tunis under its influence, says the NY-based Geopolitics magazine. Algeria is locked in an archaic rent-seeking system nurtured by anti-Moroccan nationalism. It […]
Tunisia’s suspension of the country’s leading migrant rights group has sent shockwaves through civil society, deepening fears about the country’s slide into authoritarianism while migrants bear the brunt of the crackdown. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), long a lifeline for migrants and refugees, was ordered to halt operations for a month […]
Tunisia’s National Authority for Food Safety (INSSPA) has confiscated more than 7.6 tonnes of spoiled or unsafe food products, along with 2,452 litres of mineral water stored in unhygienic conditions and over 4,000 food boxes of varying contents, following nationwide inspection campaigns. Conducted in coordination with security and municipal authorities, these operations targeted multiple governorates, […]
All economic indicators in Tunisia are flashing red as the country grapples with widening trade deficits, mounting debt vulnerabilities, and slowing growth in key sectors. Meanwhile, the country’s autocratic leader drags feet on urgent reforms as the economy risks sliding into prolonged stagnation. Tunisia’s trade deficit reached 8.4 billion dinars by the end of May […]
At least forty migrants, among them infants, died after a boat bound for Europe capsized off the coast of Mahdia in central Tunisia on Wednesday, October 22. According to Mahdia court spokesman Walid Charbi, Tunisian naval units rescued around thirty survivors from the vessel, which was carrying migrants largely from sub-Saharan Africa. Authorities have launched […]
The Tunisian government plans to seek $3.7 billion in direct financing from the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) in 2026, after borrowing $2.3 billion this year to cover urgent debt repayments. Total financing needs are projected at 27 billion dinars, with plans for a 7 billion dinar sukuk issuance, a first for the country. Public […]
Tunisia’s economic credibility is eroding rapidly, with the country now absent from key international benchmarking reports and struggling to attract foreign investment. Once hailed by the World Bank as a model of sound governance in Africa and the Middle East, Tunisia has become a cautionary tale of missed opportunities, political drift, and economic mismanagement in […]