Tunisian protesters end sit-in in Tataouine province

By Haitham al-Mahdi

TATAOUINE, Tunisia (AA) - Protestors in Tunisia’s southern Tataouine province ended their six-week-long sit-in on Friday in return for government promises to address some of their grievances.

Following a day of negotiations, agreement was reached between Tunisian officials and the father of a young Tunisian man killed in recent clashes between protestors and security forces in Tataouine’s restive Al-Kamour district.

In the agreement, government officials vowed to resume oil production in the region and provide local youth with more job opportunities in the oil-production sector.

For the last several months, the southern Tataouine province has been rocked by protests by disaffected Tunisian youth demanding more employment opportunities and stepped-up local development.

Recent weeks have seen sporadic clashes between security personnel and protesters, leading to some deaths and injuries among the latter.