A group of long-term unemployed Tunisians went on a hunger strike last month under the motto ‘Work or die’
TUNIS – “Come closer, I can’t speak very loudly,” whispers 33-year-old Omar El Touati. He is lying on a mattress under several blankets alongside his fellow strikers – 13 men and three women – on the top floor of a building on Avenue Bourguiba, in the centre of the capital city. Weekend bags and slippers lay next to the makeshift beds.
They have not consumed anything but sugar cubes, water and tea since 16 March. All of the strikers are highly educated and have been unemployed for several years. “We’ve tried everything to find a job,” El Touati says. “We’ve also protested countless times, but no one seems to listen.”
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