Day: August 13, 2017

A. Situation analysis Description of the disaster Current dry and hot weather conditions in Tunisia are considerably increasing the risk for fires. Hot winds from the south contributes to worsen the situation, spreading easily any fire outbreak to cause widespread destruction. On the 31st of July, a fire outbreak in Jendouba Governorate (North-West region of the country) the delegations of Ain Draham and Fernana resulted in the destruction of houses displacing around 500 persons, with the families currently being in a very vulnerable situation without any shelter. From that date…

GABES, Tunisia: Next to a palm grove, a blackish mud flows into the sea. After years of living with industrial pollution, residents of Tunisia’s Gabes are fighting back. Close to the Chott Essalem beach and in front of a rare coastal oasis, the state-owned Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) has been processing phosphate since the ’70s. The authorities say the plant pumps 14,000 tons of phosphogypsum into the sea every day. On top of the toxic mud, the factory also pumps phosphoric acid into the air. “In the past, our town…

Tunis: Libyan authorities released some 78 Tunisians jailed in Libya over attempted illegal emigration from the coast of the Libyan city of Zawyia. According to a statement released by the Tunisian Foreign Affairs Department, the release of these Tunisians comes after a series of contacts with the Libyan authorities, the Libyan prosecutor’s office and the Libyan Consulate General in Tunis. The Tunisians released had arrived at the border crossing of Ras Jedir. “Such cases can be settled only through official channels,” said the Foreign Affairs Department, noting that contacts are…