Pressure Systems edition
Tunisia Water Protests and Judicial Crackdowns Collide With Economic Crisis
September 4, 2026
What this edition shows
President Kais Saied's consolidation of power faces mounting strain as extreme heat, chronic water shortages, and rolling power cuts ignite widespread protests across Tunisia. While the top court upholds lengthy prison terms for opposition figures and civil society faces an intensifying crackdown, soaring food prices and failing municipal water infrastructure expose the deep vulnerabilities of the state's economic experiments.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 7 sources
-
Tunisia protests: Water, power cuts and rising anger
Tunisia protests: Water, power cuts and rising anger
-
Kais Saied’s economic experiment has failed Tunisia
Saied’s promised path to self-reliance has deepened Tunisia’s economic crisis rather than resolving it.
-
How prices in Tunisia have skyrocketed since the Arab Spring
Al Jazeera tracked the cost of common food items and compared them with pre-revolution prices in 2010.
-
Tunisians desperate for water as taps run dry
Tunisians are struggling to access water as extreme heat, power cuts, and aging infrastructure disrupt tap supplies.
-
Five years after Saied’s power grab, Tunisia’s old grievances resurface
Economic grievances persist while space for dissent has narrowed under President Kais Saied.
-
Tunisia’s top court upholds conviction of opposition figures, activists
Critics claim Tunisia’s judiciary acts under political pressure, as opposition leaders face lengthy prison terms.
-
Tunisia’s civil society faces growing pressure as crackdown widens
Arrests, prosecutions and suspensions are putting growing pressure on Tunisia’s civil society, Human Rights Watch says.