The situation in Tunisia is getting more devastating by the second as it grapples with sky-high food prices and unprecedented shortages. The North African country is struggling to make basic commodities such as sugar and oil available to its citizens.
According to AP, food essentials have been made rare and people need to stand in line to get their hands on measly rations of them, not to mention their heavy price tag on the off chance the shelves are stacked with them. Amina Hamdi, a 63-year-old shopper, told AP: “I came to shop and found people fighting to buy and the prices were very high.”
Tunisians’ anger and frustration over this critical situation have led to fights in food queues or supermarkets to get basic goods, essential for their survival.
Even worse, a young fruit vendor killed himself after the seizure of the scales he used to weigh with by the police services, reports AP. This tragedy is reminiscent of Mohamed Bouazizi’s incident which was considered the straw that broke the camel’s back and sparked the Arab Spring in 2010.
According to AP, the Tunisian government states that food shortage and spiraling prices are repercussions of speculators, black market hoarders, and the war in Ukraine.
However, Tunisia’s failure to obtain a loan from the IMF and its government’s budget crisis are said to be the main reasons behind this critical state in which Tunisia finds itself today, according to economic experts. To address a budget deficit, the government is now in negotiations with the IMF for a $2 billion to $4 billion loan.
According to the Tunisian National Institute of Statistics, inflation has reached a record high of 9.1%, the highest level in 30 years. By raising bank fees and interest rates, the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) further hampered access to consumer loans, says AP.