A general strike and mass demonstrations paralysed the southern Tunisian city of Gabes on Tuesday, as tens of thousands of people demanded the closure of a state-run chemical plant blamed for a worsening pollution crisis.
The latest wave of environmental and anti-government protests, fuelled by economic hardship and the collapse of public services, marks the most significant challenge yet to President Kais Saied since he consolidated power in 2021.
Shops, schools, markets and cafés were closed as the powerful UGTT labour union called a general strike, bringing daily life in the coastal city to a halt.
Demonstrators carried banners denouncing pollution caused by the CGT phosphate plant, which they say has endangered the health of thousands of residents. Crowds chanted slogans such as “Gabes wants to live” and “dismantle the polluting units.”
Seeking to ease tensions, President Saied recently described the situation in Gabes as an “environmental assassination,” blaming the policies of former governments for high rates of cancer, respiratory illness, and the destruction of local ecosystems.
However, protesters dismissed his remarks, saying the government’s failure to take firm action to shut down the chemical complex was worsening both the health and environmental crises.
Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani said on Monday that a cancer hospital would be built in Gabes to respond to rising cases, though no timeline was given.
The government fears that unrest in Gabes could trigger wider discontent in other regions, where protests over unemployment and water shortages are frequent.
Facing a deep financial crisis, the authorities are struggling to balance public health concerns with phosphate production, one of Tunisia’s key economic resources.
An audit commissioned by CGT in July, and reviewed by Reuters, found serious breaches of national and international regulations. The report said the plant dumps between 14,000 and 15,000 tonnes of phosphogypsum into the Mediterranean every day and emits high levels of ammonia, nitrogen oxides and sulphates.
Environmental groups warn that marine life has been severely damaged, with local fishermen reporting a sharp decline in fish stocks over the past decade, devastating a crucial source of income for the region.
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