Tunisian troops have fired shots in the air to disperse protesters who tried to close down a gas pumping in southern Tatatouine province as part of demands for jobs, a witness and two local radio stations said on Saturday.
There were no immediate reports of any injuries around the gas pumping station near Vana. Mosaique FM radio and a local state radio both reported troops had shot in the air to break up a group of protesters.
For weeks unemployed youth have threatened to blockade roads and shut gas production in southern Tunisia, where Italy’s ENI and Austria’s OMV operate. The government has sent in the army to protect installations, but negotiations have so far failed.
