Hands off the animals: Tunis croc killing zoo reopens

A Tunisian zoo that closed after a crocodile was stoned to death has reopened, with extra guards and new signs instructing visitors not to throw things at the animals. The Belvedere Zoo in central Tunis shut its gates in March after a public outcry over the animal’s death. Images shared on social media showed the dead crocodile’s head beside what appeared to be a bloodied paving slab and another large rock. The reptile’s death was the latest in a string of scandals at the 50-year-old zoo, which has long been…

“Tunisia will be 20th member state of COMESA before end of 2017” (Zied Lâadhari)

Tunisia will be the 20th Member State of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) before the end of 2017 (October 2017), “said Industry and Trade Minister Zied Lâadhari. In a statement to TAP, on the sidelines of a workshop held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the protocol on Tunisia’s accession to COMESA, Lâadhari emphasised the ” The importance of opening up the country to the international market in general and to the African market in particular. “COMESA is a market that…

French development chief: ‘SDGs apply to France in same way as Burkina Faso’

Development agencies have to change their dualist approach to Africa, as it does not correspond to the reality the continent is facing, the head of the French Development Agency told EURACTIV France. Rémy Rioux is chief executive of the French Development Agency (AFD). He previously worked for the foreign affairs ministry. Rioux spoke to EURACTIV.fr’s Cécile Barbière at the All Africa: The Issues of a Continent wide Approach event in Paris on 12 April. Your agency today organised an event aimed at changing the current perceptions of Africa. What is…

Jemna in Tunisia: an inspiring land struggle in North Africa

Jemna is a beacon of hope for a Tunisia and needs to be supported, celebrated and emulated for the sake of its people and for our sake. Over the past several years, the people of Jemna, a region in southern Tunisia famous for its excellent quality dates called Deglet Nour (the dates of light), have been engaged in an important and inspiring struggle around land rights. It took around a century for this oasis community to score a victory, albeit precarious for now, through occupying and working their long-confiscated land…