Eleven die in clashes between rival groups.
Antagonistic forces met face to face and the ensuing violence claimed 11 lives. Tunisia is the setting for the mining town of Metlaoui where stores were looted and shops were set on fire. The fighting took place with the use of bombs, guns and iron bars. The controversy arose over a job quota rumor according to which only certain people would receive jobs at the Ghafsa Phosphate Complex.
Government forces sent army helicopters to patrol the areas where the violence took place. In the words of on of the residents, Ahmed Achouri, “People are scared…we are in a real war.” The spate of revolutions and civil wars that have overtaken the Middle East have included within their ambit Egypt, Syria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.