In a tragic turn of events, a young Tunisian man succumbed to his injuries after self-immolating in protest against the police in the central region of Kairouan. Yassine Selmi, a 22-year-old construction worker, passed away on Thursday at a hospital in Tunis, just two days after setting himself on fire in front of a police station, as reported by his family on Friday.
According to his father, Mansour Selmi, the incident unfolded when Yassine attempted to intervene in a dispute between two individuals near a police station in Bou Hajla, a small town in Kairouan. Allegedly, police officers threatened to arrest him during this confrontation.
In a desperate act of protest against the police’s actions, Yassine returned to the station later with a container of gasoline and set himself on fire, his father recounted, expressing his intent to seek justice for his son’s tragic death.
Tunisia has witnessed a series of self-immolations, echoing the infamous event of Mohamed Bouazizi’s death in late 2010, which ignited the Arab Spring and ultimately led to the downfall of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Many of these incidents have occurred in regions hit hardest by Tunisia’s economic struggles, away from the coastal areas.
The economic situation in Tunisia remains dire, with the country grappling with a national debt approximately 80% of its GDP, annual inflation rates reaching up to 10%, and a staggering youth unemployment rate of 40%.
This recent tragedy follows closely after another self-immolation incident involving a street vendor in the coastal city of Sfax, who reportedly set herself on fire following a dispute with the police. The woman, originally from Kairouan, suffered severe burns and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
The Kairouan region, where these incidents occurred, faces significant challenges, including high levels of unemployment, illiteracy, and suicides. In 2023 alone, the region accounted for 26 out of 147 documented and attempted suicides nationwide, according to the non-governmental organization FTDES.
