Tunisian court rejects bid to halt polluting fertiliser plant

A Tunisian court on Thursday rejected demands to suspend operations at a fertiliser factory in Gabes, ruling there was "no sufficient proof of harm" despite years of protests blaming the plant for rising health problems in the community.

Mounir Adouni, head of the Gabes bar association that filed the legal action, said the court found "allegations of pollution lacked technical and scientific evidence."

The bar association will appeal Friday, as no date has been set for a final ruling.

Pollution concerns

An African Development Bank audit last July reported "major non-compliance" on air and marine pollution at the phosphate-processing facility, which emits sulphur gases, nitrogen and fluorine.

Thousands protested in October, blaming the plant for local health issues.

This month, 12 Stop Pollution activists received one-year prison sentences over a 2020 protest.

Economic pressures

Despite a 2017 promise to gradually close the plant, authorities are ramping up production to capitalize on rising global fertiliser prices, aiming for a fourfold increase by 2030.

The African Development Bank last month approved $110 million for "environmental upgrading" of the factory, which President Kais Saied calls a "pillar of the national economy."