Tunisia Bans Ben Ali’s Party as Unrest Continues

Four Killed, Police Station Burned in Kef

Tunisia’s Interim Government is continuing to try to further distance itself from the regime of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, and today announced that they banned the Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), the long-standing ruling party.

The most recent cabinet reshuffle saw Prime Minister and de facto leader Ghannouchi ousting every RCD member (except for himself, of course) from the government. In practice the elimination of the party is purely symbolic, as a number of these figures will likely be brought back, re-branded as it were.

Despite the new government apparently consolidating its rule in Tunis and having successfully crushed much of the protesting in the capital city (ostensibly in the name of the “revolution”), unrest still remains.

Particular in Kef, where police openly clashed with protesters and eventually opened fire, killing four and wounding 15 others. The protesters eventually set the Kef police headquarters and a number of police cars on fire.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.