Unemployed graduates forcibly dispersed in Tunis, several injured
Dozens of long-term unemployed graduates holding a sit-in in Tunis were forcibly dispersed by security forces overnight on Tuesday, September 2, 2026. Several protesters were injured during the intervention, with some requiring hospital treatment. Security agents reportedly surrounded the demonstrators and pushed them towards the Moncef Bey transport station, a maneuver intended to compel them to leave Tunis and return to their home regions. This incident followed a national mobilization on Tuesday at the Kasbah, where hundreds of unemployed graduates from various regions gathered to demand the implementation of Law No. 18 of 2025, concerning the recruitment of long-term unemployed individuals. Organized by the Union of Unemployed Graduates, the protest aimed to address their professional and social situation. The demonstration, described as peaceful by organizers, saw tensions when some protesters attempted to breach security barriers, leading to three arrests. Demonstrators refused to leave the Kasbah until their colleagues were released. Following the mobilization, protesters marched to Habib Bourguiba Avenue and announced an open sit-in in front of the Municipal Theater of Tunis to press for concrete responses to their demands. Protesters highlight that more than seven months after Law No. 18 of 2025 came into effect, authorities have repeatedly delayed its implementation, despite the text having completed its legal process. They view their movement as a demand for the ap