Tunisia

Tunisian demonstrators shout slogans against President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali from a boulevard in Tunis, demanding his immediate departure.

AFP

On January 14, 2011, following one month of violent protests throughout Tunisia, President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali fled Tunisia and Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi established an interim government.  According to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, violent demonstrations resulted in more than 100 deaths between mid-December 2011 and mid-January 2012.  In Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid, and other affected governorates throughout central and northern Tunisia, instability and civil unrest displaced residents, limited access to basic supplies, and reduced employment opportunities for an estimated 20,000 people. 

 On January 20, 2011, U.S. Ambassador Gordon Gray declared a disaster due to the social unrest.  In response, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) provided $50,000 to the Tunisian Red Crescent to support response efforts, including the distribution of blankets, sleeping mats, potable water, butane, and other emergency relief commodities.

USG HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED IN FY 2012

*(As of September 4, 2012)

EMCA DRR Fact Sheet #1 (1.01mb PDF) and map (522kb PDF)