Tunisia: Unemployed sit-in deprives nearly half of the country of gas

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Since November 13, 2020, the inhabitants of several governorates in Tunisia are no longer able to provide themselves with butane gas cylinders in the middle of winter. In question, the blockage by the unemployed of the industrial zone of Gabès (South-East), where 40% of domestic gas is produced. Our Observers fear that the crisis will last a long time.

It all starts with inspiration. After a sit-in in Kamour which had blocked oil production, the demonstrators reached an agreement with the authorities in early November which provides for the recruitment of hundreds of unemployed and development projects. This is what prompted other committees to organize sit-ins to block other industrial sites across Tunisia, for example in front of the Doulab oil field in the government of Kasserine (center-west), started on 23 november

Participants from Doulab entering this oil field.

But the mobilization that has had the most repercussions on the daily life of Tunisians is the one that takes place in the port and industrial city of Gabès (south-east). On November 13, 2020, the “sit-in de Soumoud” (“resilience” in French) coordinating committee closed the entrance to the industrial zone, thus blocking any entry or exit of energy and chemical products from the area. This industrial zone is home to three gas cylinder filling factories, which supply around ten governorates in the center and south of the country.

As a result, people in several parts of the country have seen gas cylinders become scarce at regular outlets, while the queues grew longer.

A long queue outside a gas cylinder outlet in the south-eastern city of Medenine on November 27.

Residents of the city of Tozeur (southwest) crowd in front of a point of sale on November 29.

Authorities have supplied the affected areas from filling factories in the north of the country (there are two other gas cylinder factories in Rades in the southern suburbs of Tunis, and in Bizerte, in the far north of the country). But this solution is insufficient to meet the demand of several regions.

In Foussana, waiting for the arrival of the trucks carrying the gas cylinder supplies on the evening of November 29.

Video published on November 21, 2021, which shows a crowd in front of a gas cylinder depot in Sfax. The goods will be sold closed doors, for fear of the disturbances which the crowd may have caused.

The situation even deteriorated: faced with the shortage of bottles in their regions, the inhabitants of certain municipalities such as Arram (governorate of Gabes), Mazzouna (governorate of Sidi Bouzid, center) and Medenine attacked gas transport trucks. A driver was hospitalized in Gabès.

This video filmed on the evening of November 19 in the town of Hamma (governorate of Gabès) shows a crowd attacking a truck carrying domestic gas to the governorate of Kebili (southwest).

“Protesters demand fulfillment of development pledges dating back to 2013”
Yazid (pseudonym), 36, is a father and lives in Gabès.

The consequences of this blockage, it is the southern half of the country that suffers first, since it does not have a natural gas distribution network.

“We affirm that our sit-in is peaceful ..” is the comment on the video posted November 18 on the sit-in’s Facebook page showing the tents and the organizers wearing yellow and orange vests.

We started to feel the lack after a few days without bottles on the market. Long lines formed in the biggest distribution points, there were people who queued for hours to finally get nothing. Taxi drivers also sent people in lines to have several bottles [ in some regions in Tunisia, taxis use gas, subsidized, instead of gasoline, a practice prohibited by law, Editor’s note].

The city of Gabès is home to the largest gas cylinder factories since the northern regions have a gas distribution network. Faced with criticism, the sit-in organizers, who are calling for the fulfillment of development promises dating back to 2013, finally allowed trucks carrying gas to leave the area filled for 24 hours on November 30. But they claim that they will only reopen the doors after their demands are fulfilled.

“I do 300km every other day to save my restaurant’ ’

Ali Hamdaoui, 43, is a restaurateur in Sfax. He finds himself forced to fetch his gas far from home.

As a restaurant owner, I have already suffered from the fallout from business restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. This shortage further aggravates the s

ituation. To carry out my normal activities, I need 4 to 5 bottles of gas every other day. At the start of this crisis, I was able to fill my bottles in the stations with LPG gas pumps, which cost me 18 dinars (5.50 euros) per bottle instead of 7.8 dinars (2.20 euros) ) at an ordinary point of sale.

Several inhabitants in front of a service station in Sfax waiting to fill their bottles with LPG, however more expensive.

But after a few days, the authorities had to ban this because of the risk of fires. I found myself having to travel to Sousse (150 km north of Sfax) every two days to get gas. I wake up at 2 am, I come home from Sousse at 6 am to open my restaurant and work until 7 pm [compulsory closing time for restaurants in Tunisia to limit the spread of Covid-19, Editor’s note]. I keep accumulating losses: in 2020, I spent at least 20,000 dinars (or 6,108 euros) from my own savings.

For its part, the presidency of the Tunisian government issued on December 2, a statement affirming that Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi had ordered the mobilization of the police to reopen the blocked roads and production sites.