Two killed as protesters, police clash in Tunisia

TUNIS - Two people were killed and at least 17 injured in a clash between protesters and police in Tunisia’s Kef city, a media report said.

Protesters in Kef, 220 km west of the Tunisian capital, called for the dismissal of the city’s police chief, Khaled Ghazouani, due to his relationship with ousted president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s powerful Constitutional Democratic Rally party or, RCD party and for abuse of power, Xinuha quoted a state TV report as saying Saturday.

The clash Saturday night flared up after Ghazouani slapped a woman during a demonstration.

Dozens of people gathered at the government building demanding Ghazouani’s dismissal, witnesses said.

Police opened fire at the protesters, which killed two people.

The incident in Kef is among the most serious in the past few weeks, following the suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi who set himself ablaze last December, sparking nationwide protests that led to the ouster of Tunisian president and his regime’s collapse.

According to the UN, at least 219 people died during and in the immediate aftermath of Tunisia’s month-long uprising, which culminated in the ouster of autocratic leader Ben Ali.

The figure stated by Bacre Waly Ndiaye, the head of a visiting UN human rights team, included 72 people who died during prison riots that erupted directly after Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia Jan 14.