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Tunisia: Sit-in moves to outside oilfield in Tataouine

July 14, 2020 at 10:49 am

Tunisians stage a protest in demand of employment in Tataouine, Tunisia on 3 April, 2017 [Tasnim Nasri/Anadolu Agency]

Protesters in the Tunisian city of Tataouine yesterday threatened to shut down Al-Kamour oilfield, placing their tents outside it.

After spending a week in an area three kilometers away, about 150 Tataouine youths fixed their tents near the pumping station in Al-Kamour.

The protesters are calling on the government to implement the full provisions of Al-Kamour agreement concluded between the two parties in 2017.

The oilfield is considered one of the most vital energy installations in the Tataouine Desert, and it is protected by the army.

The production of all oil and gas wells in the desert passes through Al-Kamour, making it a strategic site.

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Tarek Haddad, the official spokesman for the protesters, said: “Our goal is not to close the oilfield, but the government forced us to look at the possibility of shutting it down… We will shut it down if the pledges are not implemented.”

Protesters had forced it to close in 2017, but the army forces intervened and reopened it.

Tataouine Governorate has been witnessing a state of tension and confrontations between security forces and the protesting youth for three weeks. Protesters are demanding the government live up to its promise of improving the economic situation in the region by providing jobs and reducing unemployment rates.