Tunisia on the brink of conflict after Mohammed Brahmi funeral

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/28/tunisia-conflict-mohammed-brahmi-funeral

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Tunisian police fired teargas late on Saturday to disperse violent protests in the southern town of Sidi Bouzid, cradle of the country's revolution and hometown of slain secular opposition figure Mohammed Brahmi, witnesses said.

Thousands of protesters chanting anti-government slogans had earlier joined Brahmi's funeral march in the capital, Tunis.

"Down with the party of the Brotherhood," chanted mourners, referring to the ruling Ennahda Party's affiliation with the regional Muslim Brotherhood religious group. "The people demand the fall of the regime."

Tensions have run high in Tunisia since Brahmi's assassination on Thursday, and large protests throughout the day were met with police teargas.

In a bid to stave off unrest amid intensifying protests, particularly in the capital, secular coalition partners of Tunisia's ruling Islamist party said they were in talks to reach a new power-sharing deal.

The spokesman for the constituent assembly, Tunisia's transitional parliament tasked with drafting a new constitution, said he expected a deal within hours.<br /> <br />"The trend now is to move towards expanding the base of power," Mufdi al-Masady told a local radio station.

In Sidi Bouzid, protesters "lit tyres on fire to block roads and they threw rocks at the police", resident Mahdi al-Horshani told Reuters by telephone. "There is a lot of anger and frustration at the situation."

Brahmi's killing came just months after another secular opposition figure, Chokri Belaid, was gunned down, apparently with the same gun. On Saturday Brahmi's coffin was carried by soldiers to Jellaz cemetery and buried next to Belaid.

The efforts of secular opposition groups demanding the dissolution of the Islamist-led government have been fuelled by the unrest in Egypt. Tunisia's Islamist and secular movements appeared on the brink of confrontation on Saturday night.

Thousands of secular protesters faced off with hundreds of Islamists in one of the biggest sets of rival rallies to hit the Tunisian capital in months. No clashes were reported, but hundreds of police were standing on the sidelines.

Earlier on Saturday, police fired teargas to disperse secular protesters who gathered in front of parliament following the Brahmi's funeral.

Secular opposition parties are demanding the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated constituent assembly.

The speaker of the assembly urged MPs who had withdrawn from it in protest to return to work at this critical juncture for completing the constitution. By Saturday, at least 52 had withdrawn from the 217-member body.

"I call on them to back down from their decision. It's not rational to throw in the towel just metres away from the finish line," Mustafa Ben Jaafar said in a televised speech.

"The constitution will be agreed on in August and the assembly will finish its work on October 23."

Witnesses said one man was killed early on Saturday in an anti-government protest in the southern city of Gafsa. Violence also broke out in several other cities. A bomb in a police car exploded in Tunis but caused no casualties.

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