Photo : ZOUBEIR SOUISSI/REUTERS
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : ZOUBEIR SOUISSI/REUTERS
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Tunisia: UGTT organises countrywide strike as talks with IMF close in
On 16 June, the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) held a countrywide strike of public sector employees to protest against president Kais Saeid's proposed wage cuts and rollback of subsidies. The strike by an estimated three million employees led to the cancellation of flights and restrictions on public transport. The strike was held against Tunisia's upcoming talks with the IMF wherein the government aims to secure a bailout plan. The government's proposal to the IMF includes a wage freeze on public sector workers, cuts on subsidies and restructuring of public companies. (“Tunisian labour union holds massive strike in challenge for President Saied,” France24, 16 June 2022)
Sudan: WFP warns of increasing food insecurity
On 16 June, the WFP’s Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment (CFSVA) revealed that 15 million people in Sudan are subjected to food insecurity. The CFSVA links the situation to the prevalence of “conflict and displacement; climate shocks; and a poor harvest in the past agricultural season.” The war in Ukraine has also affected the situation as over half of Sudan’s wheat imports come from the Black Sea region. The CFSVA also predicts that the situation will deteriorate during the lean season and therefore, as previously warned by the WFP and FAO, the number of people facing insecurity would rise to 18 million. (“Sudan: One-third of population faces acute food insecurity,” UN News, 16 June 2022)