Tunisians march 400km over unemployment

Sixty unemployed youth in the poor central town of Gafsa in Tunisia, marched almost 400 km on foot to the capital to demand for jobs.

The Gafsa region is strategic for Tunisia because of its phosphate mines, but remains among the poorest.

“This peaceful demonstration lasted for eight days,” said Laslem Ali, one of the participants who were in the southern suburbs of Tunis on Tuesday, demanding to talk to the authorities.

““The idea for this march is to protest the lack of concern by the regional authorities. They never act. They always direct you to the central authorities instead,” said the 25-year-old unemployed youth.

The march came just weeks after Tunisia experienced its worst protests in five years that started in Kasserine before spreading across the country.

The protests, the largest in duration and magnitude since the 2011 revolution, was caused by the death of a young unemployed person during a demonstration.

The popular uprising five years ago had been largely motivated by unemployment, poverty and social exclusion.

Several regions in the interior of Tunisia complained of being marginalized and still demand a specific development plan.

In response to the recent protests, the government pleaded for patience and vowed to end the ordeal of the unemployed.