Tunisia’s president attributes floods to corruption, demands accountability

Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Wednesday that the damage caused by the floods hitting the country is the result of decades of corruption and poor management, calling for real accountability and for those responsible to be held to account.

Saied made the remarks during field visits to several flood-affected areas. A video of his comments was published on the official Tunisian presidency page on Facebook.

Earlier on Wednesday, authorities announced that the death toll from severe weather conditions affecting Tunisia for a second consecutive day had risen to five. Educational institutions were also closed in 15 governorates.

The president said that “the current situation is the result of decades of corruption and mismanagement”, stressing that addressing these problems requires “real accountability and assigning responsibility to everyone who caused them”.

He described the situation as exceptional due to the scale of the flooding, adding that the top priority at this stage is to protect lives and mobilise all available resources to ensure citizens’ safety and limit damage.

READ: 5 killed, schools closed as severe weather batters Tunisia