In a significant development on Friday, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the Minister of Religious Affairs, Ibrahim Shaibi, in the wake of the tragic deaths of 49 Tunisian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj.
The Presidential office issued a statement confirming the termination of Shaibi’s duties, effective immediately.
Reports from state media earlier on Friday quoted the now-dismissed Minister of Religious Affairs confirming the deaths of 49 Tunisian pilgrims.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously stated on Tuesday that the fatalities coincided with “extreme heat conditions in Mecca and the presence of large numbers of pilgrims holding tourist, visit, or Umrah visas from various nationalities, who traveled long distances under the scorching sun to reach the holy sites.”
Most of the deceased pilgrims were not part of the official Tunisian delegation and had individually obtained visas to perform the pilgrimage.
Local media and social media activists have criticized what they perceive as the “mismanagement” of the Tunisian pilgrimage delegation during this year’s Hajj season.
