Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Gabes in southern Tunisia on Friday, demanding the closure of a decades-old chemical plant accused of poisoning residents.
The protest follows a surge of anger over mounting pollution and illness linked to the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) complex, which produces fertiliser for the struggling national economy.
Videos circulating online showing children gasping for breath reignited fury in the coastal city, drawing tens of thousands to the streets in late October. Protesters returned in force this week, chanting, “The people demand the dismantling of polluting units,” as they marched toward the factory.
“Our people have decided — these units must be dismantled immediately,” said Khayreddine Debaya, head of the NGO Stop Pollution, which has long campaigned for the plant’s closure.
Local resident Hassani Essouai said protesters wanted a “total dismantling,” not mere repairs, while another, Abderrazak Ounis, lamented worsening smoke and official silence.
Built in 1972, the GCT plant processes phosphate into fertiliser, emitting gases and waste that researchers say are radioactive and carcinogenic. A July 2025 audit for the African Development Bank reported “major non-compliance” in air and marine pollution standards, citing sulfur, nitrogen, and fluorine emissions.
Studies show that more than 90 percent of marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Gabes has vanished, while doctors report unusually high rates of respiratory illness and cancer. President Kais Saied has pledged that “every Tunisian will soon breathe clean air,” but residents remain sceptical amid delays in fulfilling a 2017 promise to close the site.
Equipment Minister Salah Zouari recently vowed “urgent measures” within six months, as Chinese firms are set to address gas emissions. The GCT has yet to respond to mounting public outrage.