Tunisia’s Ennahda slams gov’t over Ukraine evacuations

By Yamena Salemi

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – Tunisia’s Ennahda movement has criticized the government’s slow response to the evacuation of Tunisian nationals from Ukraine amid Russian military attacks.

In a statement, the movement said the Tunisian authorities were slow in taking necessary measures to evacuate Tunisians from Ukraine.

It called on the Tunisian authorities “to bear responsibility and take the necessary measures to protect Tunisians and facilitate their return to the country.”

There was no comment from the Tunisian authorities on Ennahda’s statement.

On Thursday, Tunisian President Kais Saied said efforts were underway to evacuate Tunisian nationals in Ukraine via land borders with Poland.

Around 1,500 Tunisians reside in Ukraine, mainly in the cities of Odessa, Dnipro, Kharkov and the capital Kyiv.

On Thursday, Russia started a wide-scale military operation against Ukraine amid fierce fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar