Dozens were arrested in Gabes, Tunisia, amid growing protests against a phosphate factory blamed for pollution and rising health problems. Thousands of residents have rallied in the southern coastal city, demanding closure of the plant responsible for toxic gas emissions.
“The arrests targeted night protesters,” said Mehdi Talmoudi, lawyer and Tunisian Bar Association member, describing clashes and tyre burnings after dark. Authorities did not release exact figures, but local campaigner Khayreddine Debaya said over 100 people were detained by early Saturday.
“More than 70 were arrested just last night, and others taken from their homes by dawn,” Debaya added. Social media activists have condemned what they describe as a wave of politically charged arrests in the city.
Locals argue the phosphate processing plant has intensified pollution, discharging toxic gases and radioactive waste into the surrounding environment. Earlier this year, authorities announced plans to expand production, contradicting a 2017 pledge to gradually close the facility.
President Kais Saied summoned parliamentary leaders Saturday to discuss Gabes’ environmental crisis, emphasising the need for urgent solutions. Saied reaffirmed his goal to revive the phosphate sector, a longstanding pillar of Tunisia’s national economy.
Tunisia now plans to quadruple the plant’s output by 2030, aiming for 14 million tonnes annually amid rising global fertiliser prices.Residents and campaigners continue to call for accountability, fearing the expansion will worsen public health and environmental degradation.