TUNISIA: NATURAL DISASTER HITS POLITICAL HOTSPOT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000707 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2019 TAGS: PGOV SENV EAID CASC TS SUBJECT: TUNISIA: NATURAL DISASTER HITS POLITICAL HOTSPOT Classified by Ambassador Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Disastrous flooding on September 23 caused at least 17 deaths, many other injuries, and an uncalculated amount of property damage in the south central region of Tunisia. The worst flooding damage appears to have been in and around Redeyef, an impoverished mining town that was the scene of significant civil unrest, in the form of unemployment protests/riots, in early 2008. The Government of Tunisia (GOT) and state controlled media have responded by emphasizing President Ben Ali's personal engagement in relief efforts. The head of the Tunisian Red Crescent told us they quickly depleted their relief stocks but were now getting support from the International Red Cross. Civil society activists have seized on the opportunity to urge the GOT to pardon and release those detained in last year's riots. Tunisian meteorologists, the Ministry of Public Works, and local council members have all been faulted as alleged accomplices to the disaster. No American citizens are known to have been affected. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) On September 23, massive rains dumped as much at 150 mm (5.91 inches) of water on south-central Tunisia. The resulting flooding caused significant damage and at least 17 deaths, especially in and around the town of Redeyef (near the Algerian border, about 180 miles southwest of Tunis) in Gafsa province, and also causing serious damage in the neighboring governorates of Tozeur and Kasserine. We have not yet seen any estimates for the amount of property damage but it is sure to be measured in the millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, of dollars. ¶3. (SBU) Redeyef and Gafsa are probably the most politically sensitive areas of Tunisia. In early 2008, Redeyef was the scene of major unemployment protests which devolved into riots and clashes with police, with hundreds of locals arrested - thirty eight later faced prosecution. Gafsa province has long been characterized by its isolation and alienation from the central government. For this reason, it was chosen as the staging ground for a short-lived Libyan-sponsored armed revolt in 1980. ¶4. (SBU) On the evening of September 23, Tunisian State TV broadcast images of Redeyef's city center under four to six feet of water and interviews with distraught citizens. On the broadcast, accounts of the flooding were immediately followed by the presentation of "Instructions from His Excellency the President to assist affected citizens," directing government ministries and agencies to expeditiously dispatch relief supplies and rescue equipment to the area. The President also dispatched the Ministers of Social Affairs, Public Health, and Public Works to personally travel to the area to supervise relief efforts. ¶5. (C) Dr. Tahar Cheniti, Secretary-General of the Tunisian Red Crescent, told us the Tunisian military were the first responders, using helicopters in some areas to deliver assistance. Tunisian Red Crescent response teams, working with the Tunisian Civil Defense Agency, fanned out in the affected area to distribute mattresses, cots, blankets, and other items, but very quickly depleted their relief supplies. The International Red Cross Federation has since transferred funds to the Tunisian Red Crescent to allow it to continue and expand its relief effort. No American citizens are known to have been affected. ¶6. (C) A Tunisian NGO source reported spontaneous demonstrations in the city of Redeyef protesting the GOT's failure to warn the public and its slow response. The flooding in Gafsa coincided with news of the delivery of official Tunisian assistance to flood victims in Mauritania, reportedly prompting sarcastic complaints that the GOT care more about Mauritanians than its own people. As of late September 25, we have not heard any sbsequent reports of protests or unrest in the ara. ¶7. (SBU) Prompted by national attention, twoopposition political parties, and the unlicensed Tunisian Human Rights League, each released statements calling on the GOT to pardon and release those still detained in connection with last year's rioting. ¶8. (SBU) In a perhaps inevitable search for scapegoats, two stongly pro-government papers, Al-Sabah, and Al-Chorouk, each published columns savaging the Tunisian meteorological service for its failure to accurately predict and warn citizens of the severe rain. (However, the papers also allowed a meteorologist to publish a defense/rebuttal of the charges.) There has also been public commentary criticizing the Ministry of Public Works for failing to provide communities in Gafsa with adequate drainage, and criticism of local council members for allowing building in flood-prone dry river beds. GRAY