VIOLENT PROTESTS IN SOUTHERN MINING REGION LEAVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000615

SIPDIS

NEA/MAG (NARDI AND HARRIS)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINS TS
SUBJECT: VIOLENT PROTESTS IN SOUTHERN MINING REGION LEAVE
ONE PERSON SHOT AND KILLED, SEVERAL WOUNDED

REF: A. TUNIS 596

B. TUNIS 394

C. TUNIS 362

Classified By: DCM Marc Desjardins for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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Summary
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1. (C) One person was shot and killed and several others were
injured in violent protests in Redeyef on June 6. Two quite
different narratives have emerged about the events: the
official version, put out by GOT sources in a communique,
stipulates that protesters instigated the violence by
throwing petrol bombs at the police. The Tunisian Justice
Minister expressed "regret" for the incidents, but defended
the use of force against violent protesters. Redeyef
residents and their supporters counter that police fired on
peaceful protesters. They deny that there were any petrol
bombs, dismissing this claim as an ex post facto
rationalization for excessive use of force by the security
services. Moreover, they accuse the security forces of
breaking into homes and businesses and looting goods. The
Tunisian military was called into Redeyef on the night of
June 6 to act as a buffer between the population and the
security police, and the situation has reportedly calmed.
While the public prosecutor of Gafsa has opened an
investigation into the incidents, independent opposition and
civil society groups are calling for an independent
investigation, and for a national dialogue on issues of
unemployment and regional development. Protests in the Gafsa
mining region have been ongoing for several months, but the
killing of a protester, on top of the suicide of another
protester the previous week, could help transform what is
fundamentally a socio-economic issue into one with
potentially deeper political and security significance. End
Summary.

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The Official Version
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2. (SBU) Long-brewing social unrest in the mining region in
the southern Governorate of Gafsa (reftels) escalated into
violence on June 6. According to an official source quoted
in the Tunis-Afrique Press Agency (TAP),"Acts of violence
were carried out by some individuals in the region of
Redeyef, governorate of Gafsa. These acts were subjected to
tight police surveillance to prevent that things get out of
hand" (sic). The communique went on to explain that
authorities had learned that "some elements" were making
molotov cocktails and planned to use them in acts of
vandalism. When the security forces intervened, they were
"pelted" with these incendiary devices. The communique
states that the security forces issued warnings, in
compliance with the law, but that the "troublemakers" refused
to stand down, leading the security forces to "step in." The
ensuing clashes are said to have resulted in the death of one
"troublemaker." Five others were said to be wounded, in
addition to three policemen. The public prosecutor of Gafsa
has opened an investigation into the incidents.


3. (SBU) At a June 7 press conference, Justice and Human
Rights Minister Bechir Tekkari expressed regret for the
incident, but defended the security forces' actions to
protect the population and prevent threats to public order.
He denied accusations that the police had fired without
warning. Rather, he said, police attacked a group of
individuals after they had thrown petrol bombs at the
security forces. Tekkari also denied that accusations that
police had plundered buildings in Redeyef.


4. (SBU) Loyal opposition parties have also weighed in in
support of the GOT. The Popular Unity Party (PUP),the
Socialist Democratic Movement (MDS),and the Liberal Social
Party (PSL) all issued communiques on June 8 in which they
expressed understanding for the desire of the people of the
mining region of Redeyef to improve their social conditions,
while arguing that these aspirations do not justify the use
of violence. The PUP took issue with the use of molotov
cocktails by some individuals, expressing the view that this
kind of behavior was not in keeping with Redeyef's traditions
of peace. The MDS called for the rejection of all forms of
violence. For its part, the PSL emphasized that the people
should not violate laws, spread chaos, or threaten civil
security.

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Alienated Protesters, Opposition Tell a Different Story

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5. (SBU) The official narrative differs substantially from
the version of events as described by the opposition.
EmbOffs were initially alerted to the incidents by text
messages that claimed that police had fired live ammunition
into a crowd of protesters. Opposition contacts have since
told us that Hafnaoui Maghdaoui was shot and killed, and at
least 25 others were wounded. One man is said to be in
critical condition, with two bullet wounds. Two of the
demonstrators were said to have been shot from behind, an
assertion that is backed up by a video reportedly filmed in
Redeyef and posted on YouTube on June 9 that shows a man
lying on his stomach with an apparent bullet wound in his
back. (Note: See http://www.youtube.com and query results
for "redeyef".)


6. (C) The (unauthorized) National Committee for the Support
of the Population in the Mining Regions issued a communique
on June 6 that laid out the sequence of events as follows:

-- The incidents started with provoking actions between a
group of unemployed young men and the police on the morning
of June 5.

-- In the afternoon of the same day, police broke into houses
and shops, destroying or looting goods.

-- On June 6, a general strike was announced. Some labor
union leaders and citizens expressed the desire to meet with
the regional authorities to protest the events of June 5.
They were met with tear gas as they approached the Delegue's
(district leader's) office.

-- During the afternoon of June 6, police fired on
demonstrators. Local residents alleged that some "suspicious
individuals" acted as agents provocateurs to push the police
to use stronger security measures.

This version of events tracks with the understanding of
al-Jazeera correspondent Lotfi Hajji, who met with EmbOffs on
June 9. Based on separate conversations he had had with
several eyewitnesses, Hajji asserted that there were no
molotov cocktails; rather the GOT invented this story after
the fact to give cover for the excessive force used by the
police. Hajji also noted that, during the evening of June 6,
the Tunisian military was deployed to Redeyef to act as a
buffer between the local residents and the security police.
This seems to have defused the situation, he said. For
example, the majority of the town's residents were in the
streets for the slain man's funeral on June 7.


7. (C) Hajji faulted the authorities for dealing with a
social problem with security mechanisms. He noted that
almost everyone he had spoken with from Redeyef had used the
expression, "It's as if we are not in Tunisia." This
expression, he surmised, encapsulates the sense of alienation
that pervades this destitute area and is at odds with GOT
propaganda about social and economic advancement. There is
also palpable frustration, he said, that the region is not
benefiting from the wealth generated by phosphate production.
At-Tariq al-Jadeed, the newspaper of the former Communist
party, in its June 8 issue took this theme further, posing
the question: Where are the phosphate export earnings going,
now that there has been a 125 percent increase in the price
of phosphates on the international market between the first
quarter of 2007 and the same period in 2008? The newspaper
estimates that proceeds from phosphate sales this year will
total between 2.2-2.4 billion dinars (US $1.54-2.06 billion),
which corresponds roughly to an increase of 1 billion dinar
(US $ 859 million) over last year's sales.


8. (SBU) Independent opposition parties and civil rights
organizations echo the protesters' narrative. The National
Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT) released a statement
on June 7 citing residents of Redeyef who charged that some
members of the police had looted several small grocery shops
and set a bakery on fire. The CNLT called for the lifting of
the police blockade against Redeyef and the return to
dialogue. The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) issued a
statement on June 6 criticizing the authorities for firing on
young men claiming their right to work and protesting against
their living conditions. The PDP warned of continuing, and
spreading unrest, unless the authorities undertake a genuine
discussion at the national level on issues of unemployment
and regional development: "As long as the core issues of
unemployment and lack of balance among regions are not
solved, the mining regions will continue to be the site of
protest movements. As a reaction, the authorities will
continue to use force, and the chances that the movement will

spread to other regions will be greater. The country will be
pushed toward an unclear future."

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Redeyef, Metlaoui "No-Go" Areas for EmbOff
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9. (C) DATT sought to travel through Redeyef and Metlaoui en
route to Tameghza and/or Tozeur on June 7 and 8. (See septel
IIR.) DATT vehicle was stopped multiple times at checkpoints
in the Gafsa governorate. Driving south of Gafsa, he was
stopped by National Guards, who told him he could not
continue in the direction of Redeyef, Tameghza, or Tozeur,
since all roads in those directions were "under
construction." He pressed for a more credible explanation
and ultimately a senior security officer in plain clothes
conceded that there had been "disturbances involving the
civilian population" and that the area was not considered
safe for foreigners.

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Comment
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10. (C) Despite opposition calls for an independent
commission of inquiry, and the posting of some amateur videos
on YouTube, it is unlikely that we will ever know the precise
sequence of events in Redeyef. What we do know is that a
line has been crossed: on the heels of a recent suicide by a
young man in the same region protesting unemployment and
oppressive economic conditions (Ref A),another man has been
shot and killed, reportedly from behind. Our sense is that
the Tunisian population feels sympathy for the plight faced
by the unemployed residents of the Gafsa mining region. What
is not clear is whether they will buy the Redeyef version of
events or that of the government. How these sympathies play
out will no doubt influence whether what is fundamentally a
socio-economic issue takes on a deeper political and security
significance. We will continue to follow developments in
this region and report accordingly. End Comment.

Please visit Embassy Tunis' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/tunis/index.c fm
GODEC