Immolations in Tunisia, a lasting evil

Audio 19:30

A giant portrait of Mohamed Bouazizi, the young street vendor who set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid, December 17, 2010. AFP / Fethi Belaid

By: Lilia Blaise Follow

21 min

Tunisia was little affected by the Covid-19 pandemic ... Partly thanks to the work of the authorities who, very early on, imposed total containment and a curfew.

During this period, a phenomenon that has existed since the revolution still persists, that of immolations by fire, a suicidal gesture, but also a claimant in the face of social inequalities and the country's economic problems.

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Since the gesture of Mohamed Bouazizi in 2011, the immolation remains an act which illustrates a deep despair, still anchored in some Tunisians, in the face of the lack of change in their daily life and a stagnant economic crisis.

There are hardly any statistics on the cases of immolations in Tunisia but almost every month, the media report an attempt.

During the confinement alone, three immolations took place.

(Re-broadcast on August 5, 2020)

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