"Every shift is like hell": seasonal workers in tourism industry
Good food, beaches, bars, fun. This is what summer looks like for many tourists coming to Tunisia to spend their holidays here. But the season, seen from the perspective of seasonal workers, takes on a very different look. In total contrast with the picture postcard scenery, the summer season for people employed in the tourism sector implies long, tiring, and poorly-paid shifts behind the scenes.
Kais Saied: jeopardizing rights and freedom
Two years after Kais Saied's state of exception, all democratic gains seem to be at risk. Despite the President's promise to safeguard rights and freedoms, Tunisia has clearly taken a downward spiral over the past two years. Between arbitrary arrests, insecurity towards civil society and threats to freedom of expression, inkyfada takes a closer at the facts.
PandoraPapers
All of the Pandora Papers investigations in Tunisia
More than 11.9 million documents leaked from offshore financial firms. This investigation, conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in partnership with nearly 150 media outlets worldwide, including inkyfada, is the largest journalistic collaboration in history to date.
Marlies, 73, pensioner from Germany living in Djerba, 2950 dinars per month
When she was still living in Germany, Marlies could barely afford paying her bills and had to work a minijob to top up her pension. After nine years of struggling financially, she decided to move to Tunisia, hoping that this would improve her situation
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02
July
2022
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Nadia 34, web editor and divorced mother, 2820 dinars per month
It's 6pm, and Nadia is navigating the traffic as fast as she can. She just finished work and picked her daughter up from school, but she has to hurry: two women are expecting her in an hour for a private English class. Between her work, her daughter and her other activities, her day to day life is not easy.
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13
September
2021
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Mahmoud, 28 years old, petrol smuggler, 7200 dinars per month
Mahmoud* is 28 years old. The young man is not very tall but well-built and clean-cut, which comes in handy in his line of work: smuggling petrol.
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30
August
2021
| 0 minutes

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In Tunisia, environmental activists on trial
In recent months, environmental activists have been prosecuted and silenced, and grassroots movements have suffered the most. Amid a broader attack on civil rights and liberties, inkyfada takes stock of the obstacles facing environmental activists. Against the backdrop of the worsening climate crisis, they are urgently needed. Yet, increasingly, they are under threat.
Kais Saied: A sinking economy plagued by inflation and shortages
Tunisian consumers are struggling to survive, grappling with shortages and inflation. Essential products like sugar, semolina, rice or flour are absent from the market, while inflation continues to soar. Having declared himself the nation's savior on July 25, 2021, Kais Saied vowed to save Tunisians from hunger. Two years later, what has he actually accomplished?
Right to health
From drug shortages to life-threatening health disasters, the Tunisian health sector has been plagued by numerous scandals. Pending a deep structural reform, difficulties faced by health care workers and unequal access to decent health care persist.
“Perpetuating Apartheid”: Sub-Saharan Africans in Sfax hunted down, attacked and forcibly deported
"Sfax bears witness to a crime against humanity". In the heart of the city, hundreds of Sub-Saharan Africans have been left to fend for themselves, after having been evicted from their homes and even assaulted. Many others have been driven into the desert in extremely inhumane conditions, amid the applause of local residents.
Investigating the Lucrative Visa Business: From Tunisia to Luxembourg
TLScontact, a subsidiary of the renowned Teleperformance Group, has established itself as a pivotal visa service provider for European destinations, leading to amplified fees for Tunisian applicants. In 2019 alone, TLScontact Tunisie generated remarkable profits exceeding the 8 million dinar mark. Before they reachTeleperformance, however, this revenue is routed to Luxembourg, known as a tax haven.
Under Kais Saied's shadow : the vanishing independence of the judiciary
In his electoral campaign, Kais Saied had vowed to uphold the independence of the judiciary and limit its interference with political power. But once he had seized full power on July 25, 2021, the Head of State embarked on a journey to gradually erode the autonomy of the Tunisian judiciary, employing a series of incremental measures.
Kais Saied: When the promise of reform leads to a democratic crisis
Two years ago, Kais Saied took full command of the country, asserting his authority through a series of decrees that granted him unrestricted powers. In a bold move, he declared himself the sole legislator, picking and choosing the areas of State intervention as he saw fit, with no oversight or accountability from any official authority. The sheer number of decrees he has passed, spanning a wide range of issues, sheds light on the President's priorities, as he drags Tunisia into an ever-deepening democratic crisis.
Free voices silenced by Decree 54 in Tunisia
Is there a threat to freedom of expression in Tunisia? Arrests, social network surveillance, arbitrary decrees... inkyfada takes a look at the current state of freedom of expression, almost a year after the adoption of a Decree unanimously described as "draconian".
Visa outsourcing: States dance in the shadows of the private sector
When it comes to applying for a visa to Europe, service providers such as TLScontact have become an essential part of the process. Supposed to facilitate the application process, this kind of outsourcing to private companies actually creates a distance between the applicant and the company, absolves states of their responsibility, and puts profit above all else. An analysis.
Getting a Schengen Visa, a humiliating journey
A large number of Tunisians express a sense of humiliation when going through the visa application process. Inconsistent appointments, endless paperwork and unexplained rejections are common. In this report, inkyfada has compiled accounts from several individuals who share a collective feeling of frustration and dissatisfaction with the unfair visa system.
What Viable Alternatives Does Tunisia Have Without the IMF?
While the IMF and Tunisia have been negotiating a 1.9 billion dollar rescue package since October 2022, the critical talks between the Fund and Tunis have come to a standstill. While some argue that Tunisia can do without it, the US and EU are pushing for an agreement. So, what are the most realistic alternatives for Tunisia?
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01
June
2023
| 15 minutes
A Key New Ally For Russia That Makes The West Cringe: Tunisia
Tunis and Moscow have been increasingly close — at the cost of relations with the West, which had once looked to Tunisia as a model of democracy. The two countries are brought together by Kremlin's efforts to woo African countries, but also a natural alliance of its strongman Presidents Putin and Saïed.
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17
May
2023
| 20 minutes