Editing Tunisia (section)

== History ==
{{main|History of Tunisia}}

=== Antiquity ===
{{main|Capsian culture|Ancient Carthage}}
Farming methods reached the [[Nile|Nile Valley]] from the [[Fertile Crescent]] region about 5000 BC, and spread to the [[Maghreb]] by about 4000 BC. Agricultural communities in the humid coastal plains of central Tunisia then were ancestors of today's [[Berber people|Berber]] tribes.
[[File:Carthaginianempire.PNG|left|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Punic people|Carthaginian]] dependencies and protectorates through the [[Punic Wars]]]]
It was believed in ancient times that Africa was originally populated by [[Gaetuli]]ans and Libyans, both nomadic peoples. According to the Roman historian [[Sallust]], the demigod Hercules died in Spain and his polyglot eastern army was left to settle the land, with some [[Human migration|migrating]] to Africa. Persians went to the West and intermarried with the Gaetulians and became the Numidians. The Medes settled and were known as Mauri, later Moors.<ref>Banjamin Isaac, ''The Invention of Racism in Classical Antiquity'', Princeton University Press, 2013 p.147</ref>

The Numidians and Moors belonged to the race from which the Berbers are descended. The translated meaning of Numidian is Nomad and indeed the people were semi-nomadic until the reign of [[Masinissa]] of the Massyli tribe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hannibalbarca.webspace.virginmedia.com/carthage-numidians.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331154523/http://hannibalbarca.webspace.virginmedia.com/carthage-numidians.htm |archive-date=31 March 2012 |title=Carthage and the Numidians |publisher=Hannibalbarca.webspace.virginmedia.com |access-date=28 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/II40-57.html |title=Numidians (DBA II/40) and Moors (DBA II/57) |publisher=Fanaticus.org |date=12 December 2001 |access-date=28 October 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927024947/http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/II40-57.html |archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/422426/Numidia |title=Numidia (ancient region, Africa) |encyclopedia=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |access-date=28 October 2011}}</ref>

At the beginning of recorded history, Tunisia was inhabited by [[Berber people|Berber]] tribes. Its coast was settled by [[Phoenicia]]ns starting as early as the 12th century BC ([[Bizerte]], [[Utica, Tunisia|Utica]]). The city of [[Carthage]] was founded in the 9th century BC by Phoenicians. Legend says that [[Dido (Queen of Carthage)|Dido]] from Tyre, now in modern-day Lebanon, founded the city in 814 BC, as retold by the [[Greeks|Greek]] writer [[Timaeus (historian)|Timaeus of Tauromenium]]. The settlers of Carthage brought their culture and religion from Phoenicia, now present-day [[Lebanon]] and adjacent areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Administration/Committees/documents/TheCityofCarthage.pdf |title=The City of Carthage: From Dido to the Arab Conquest |access-date=8 January 2013 |archive-date=10 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810075556/http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Administration/Committees/documents/TheCityofCarthage.pdf }}</ref>
[[File:Mommsen p265.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of the Carthaginian general [[Hannibal|Hannibal Barca]]]]
After the series of wars with Greek city-states of Sicily in the 5th century BC, Carthage rose to power and eventually became the dominant civilization in the Western [[Mediterranean]]. The people of Carthage worshipped a pantheon of Middle Eastern gods including [[Baal]] and [[Tanit]]. Tanit's symbol, a simple female figure with extended arms and long dress, is a popular icon found in ancient sites. The founders of Carthage also established a [[Tophet]], which was altered in Roman times.

A Carthaginian invasion of Italy led by [[Hannibal]] during the [[Second Punic War]],  one of a series of wars with [[Roman Republic|Rome]], nearly crippled the rise of Roman power. From the conclusion of the Second Punic War in 202 BC, Carthage functioned as a client state of the Roman Republic for another 50 years.<ref>[[Appian]]. [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-punic-wars/ ''The Punic<!-- Foreign? --> Wars'']. livius.org</ref>
[[File:Temple du Capitole (Dougga).JPG|thumb|upright|left|Ruins of a 2nd-century temple in [[Dougga]], one of nine [[List of World Heritage Sites in Tunisia|World Heritage Sites in Tunia]]]]
Following the [[Battle of Carthage (c. 149 BC)|Battle of Carthage]] which began in 149 BC during the [[Third Punic War]], Carthage was conquered by Rome in 146 BC.{{sfn|Steel|2013|p=9–10}} Following its conquest, the Romans renamed Carthage to [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]], incorporating it as a province.

During the Roman period, the area of what is now Tunisia enjoyed a huge development. The economy, mainly during the Empire, boomed: the prosperity of the area depended on agriculture. Called the ''Granary of the Empire'', the area of actual Tunisia and coastal [[Tripolitania]], according to one estimate, produced one million tons of cereals each year, one quarter of which was exported to the Empire. Additional crops included beans, figs, grapes, and other fruits.

By the 2nd century, olive oil rivaled cereals as an export item. In addition to the cultivations and the capture and transporting of exotic wild animals from the western mountains, the principal production and exports included textiles, marble, wine, timber, livestock, pottery such as [[African Red Slip]], and wool.

There was even a huge production of mosaics and ceramics, exported mainly to Italy, in the central area of [[El Djem]] (where there was the second biggest amphitheater in the Roman Empire).

Berber bishop [[Donatus Magnus]] was the founder of a Christian group known as the [[Donatist]]s.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia | url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/169009/Donatist | title = Donatist | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> During the 5th and 6th centuries (from 430 to 533 AD), the Germanic [[Vandals]] invaded and ruled over a kingdom in Northwest Africa that included present-day Tripoli. The region was easily reconquered in 533–534 AD, during the rule of Emperor [[Justinian I]], by the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Romans]] led by General [[Belisarius]],<ref>Bury, John Bagnell (1958) ''History of the Later Roman Empire from the Death of Theodosius I. to the Death of Justinian'', Part 2, Courier Corporation. pp.124–148</ref> preluding a 165-year era of [[Byzantine North Africa|Byzantine rule]].

=== Middle Ages ===
{{main|History of medieval Tunisia}}
[[File:Statue de Okba ibn Nafi al Fihri en Algérie.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Uqba ibn Nafi]] led the [[Umayyad]] conquest of Tunisia in the late 7th century.]]
Sometime between the second half of the 7th century and the early part of the 8th century, [[Arab]] [[Muslim conquest of the Maghreb|Muslim conquest occurred in the region]]. They founded the first Islamic city in Northwest Africa, [[Kairouan]]. It was there in 670 AD that the [[Mosque of Uqba]], or the Great Mosque of Kairouan, was constructed.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Davidson |first1=Linda Kay |last2=Gitlitz |first2=David Martin |title=Pilgrimage: From the Ganges to Graceland: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YVYkrNhPMQkC&pg=PA302|date=2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-004-8|page=302}}</ref> This mosque is the oldest and most prestigious sanctuary in the Muslim West with the oldest standing [[minaret]] in the world;<ref>{{cite book|last=Bosworth |first=Clifford Edmund |title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UB4uSVt3ulUC&pg=PA264|year=2007|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-15388-2|page=264}}</ref> it is also considered a masterpiece of Islamic art and architecture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kairouan.org/en/culture/unesco.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422091651/http://www.kairouan.org/en/culture/unesco.htm |archive-date=22 April 2012 |title=Kairouan inscription as World Heritage |publisher=Kairouan.org |access-date=2 May 2010 }}</ref> The [[Arab migration to the Maghreb]] began during this time.

The region in its entirety was taken in 695, retaken by the Byzantine Eastern Romans in 697, but lost permanently in 698. The transition from a Latin-speaking Christian Berber society to a Muslim and mostly Arabic-speaking society took over 400 years (the equivalent process in Egypt and the Fertile Crescent took 600 years) and resulted in the final disappearance of Christianity and Latin in the 12th or 13th century. The majority of the population were not Muslim until quite late in the 9th century; a vast majority were during the 10th. Also, some Tunisian Christians emigrated; some richer members of society did so after the conquest in 698 and others were welcomed by Norman rulers to Sicily or Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries – the logical destination because of the 1200 year close connection between the two regions.<ref>Jonathan Conant (2012). ''Staying Roman, Conquest and Identity in Africa and the Mediterranean, 439–700''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 358–378. {{ISBN|978-1-107-53072-0}}</ref>

The Arab governors of Tunis founded the [[Aghlabids|Aghlabid dynasty]], which ruled Tunisia, [[Tripolitania]] and eastern Algeria from 800 to 909.<ref name="lapidus"/> Tunisia flourished under Arab rule when extensive systems were constructed to supply towns with water for household use and irrigation that promoted agriculture (especially olive production).<ref name="lapidus">{{cite book|last=Lapidus|first=Ira M.|title=A History of Islamic Societies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I3mVUEzm8xMC&pg=302|date= 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-77933-3|pages=302–303}}</ref><ref name="tunisia-lp">{{cite book | last1 = Ham | first1 = Anthony | last2 = Hole | first2 = Abigail | last3 = Willett | first3 = David. | title = Tunisia | publisher = [[Lonely Planet]] | year = 2004 | edition = 3 | page = 65 | isbn = 978-1-74104-189-7}}</ref> This prosperity permitted luxurious court life and was marked by the construction of new palace cities such as al-Abbasiya (809) and Raq Adda (877).<ref name="lapidus"/>
[[File:Panorama of the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.25|Domes of the [[Mosque of Uqba|Great Mosque of Kairouan]]. Founded in 670, it dates in its present form largely from the Aghlabid period (9th century). It is the oldest mosque in the [[Maghreb]].]]
After conquering [[Cairo]], the [[Fatimids]] abandoned Tunisia and parts of Eastern Algeria to the local [[Zirids]] (972–1148).<ref name="stearns">{{cite book | last1 = Stearns | first1 = Peter N. | last2 = Leonard Langer | first2 = William | title = The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged | publisher = [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] | year = 2001 | edition = 6 | pages = 129–131 | isbn = 978-0-395-65237-4}}</ref> Zirid Tunisia flourished in many areas: agriculture, industry, trade, and religious and secular learning.<ref name="locfatamids">{{cite book|last=Houtsma |first=M. Th. |title=E. J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wpM3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA852|year=1987|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-08265-6|page=852}}</ref> Management by the later Zirid [[emirs]] was neglectful though, and political instability was connected to the decline of Tunisian trade and agriculture.<ref name="lapidus"/><ref name="islamic-dynasties">{{cite book | last = Singh | first = Nagendra Kr | title = International encyclopaedia of islamic dynasties | volume = 4: A Continuing Series | publisher = Anmol | year = 2000 | pages = 105–112 | isbn = 978-81-261-0403-1}}</ref><ref name="history-of-africa">{{cite book | title = General history of Africa | publisher = James Currey Publishers | pages = 171–173 | isbn = 978-0-85255-093-9 |last1=Ki-Zerbo |first1=J. |last2=Mokhtar |first2=G. |last3=Boahen |first3=A. Adu |last4=Hrbek |first4=I. | year = 1992 }}</ref>

The depredation of the Tunisian campaigns by the [[Banu Hilal]], a warlike Arab tribe encouraged by the Fatimids of Egypt to seize Northwest Africa, sent the region's rural and urban economic life into further decline.<ref name="stearns"/> Consequently, the region underwent rapid urbanisation as famines depopulated the countryside and industry shifted from agriculture to manufactures.<ref>Abulafia, ''The Norman Kingdom of Africa'', 27.</ref> The Arab historian [[Ibn Khaldun]] wrote that the lands ravaged by Banu Hilal invaders had become completely arid desert.<ref name="islamic-dynasties"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.galtoninstitute.org.uk/Newsletters/GINL9603/PopCrises3.htm |title=Populations Crises and Population Cycles, Claire Russell and W.M.S. Russell |publisher=Galtoninstitute.org.uk |access-date=19 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527170154/http://www.galtoninstitute.org.uk/Newsletters/GINL9603/PopCrises3.htm |archive-date=27 May 2013 }}</ref>

The main Tunisian cities were conquered by the [[Normans]] of [[Sicily]] under the [[Kingdom of Africa]] in the 12th century, but following [[Almohad conquest of Ifriqiya|the conquest of Tunisia]] in 1159–1160 by the [[Almohads]] the Normans were evacuated to Sicily. Communities of Tunisian Christians would still exist in [[Nefzaoua]] up to the 14th century.<ref name="hrbek">{{cite book |last1=Hrbek |first1=Ivan |title=Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century |date=1992 |publisher=UNESCO. International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of Africa. J. Currey |isbn=0-85255-093-6 |page=34 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDFcD0BuekQC&pg=PA34}}</ref> The Almohads initially ruled over Tunisia through a governor, usually a near relative of the Caliph. Despite the prestige of the new masters, the country was still unruly, with continuous rioting and fighting between the townsfolk and wandering Arabs and Turks, the latter being subjects of the Muslim Armenian adventurer Karakush. Also, Tunisia was occupied by [[Ayyubids]] between 1182 and 1183 and again between 1184 and 1187.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.3989/alqantara.2013.010|title=Saladin and the Ayyubid Campaigns in the Maghrib|journal=Al-Qanṭara|volume=34|issue=2|pages=267–295|year=2013|last1=Baadj|first1=Amar|doi-access= | issn = 0211-3589}}</ref>

The greatest threat to Almohad rule in Tunisia was the [[Banu Ghaniya]], relatives of the [[Almoravids]], who from their base in [[Mallorca]] tried to restore Almoravid rule over the Maghreb. Around 1200 they succeeded in extending their rule over the whole of Tunisia until they were crushed by Almohad troops in 1207. After this success, the Almohads installed Walid Abu Hafs as the governor of Tunisia. Tunisia remained part of the Almohad state, until 1230 when the son of Abu Hafs declared himself independent.

During the reign of the [[Hafsid dynasty]] from their capital Tunis, fruitful commercial relationships were established with several Christian Mediterranean states.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bosworth |first= Clifford Edmund |title=The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKpz_2CkoWEC&pg=PA46 |year=2004 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=978-0-7486-2137-8|page=46}}</ref> In the late 16th century the coast became a [[pirate]] stronghold.

=== Ottoman Tunisia ===
{{main|Ottoman Tunisia}}
[[File:Frans Hogenberg battle of Tunis.jpg|left|thumb|[[Conquest of Tunis (1535)|Conquest of Tunis]] by [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] and liberation of Christian [[galley slave]]s in 1535]]
In the last years of the [[Hafsid dynasty]], Spain seized many of the coastal cities, but these were recovered by the [[Ottoman Empire]].

The [[Conquest of Tunis (1534)|first Ottoman conquest of Tunis]] took place in 1534 under the command of [[Hayreddin Barbarossa|Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha]], the younger brother of Oruç Reis, who was the [[Kapudan Pasha]] of the [[Ottoman Navy|Ottoman Fleet]] during the reign of [[Suleiman the Magnificent]]. However, it was not until the [[Conquest of Tunis (1574)|final Ottoman reconquest of Tunis from Spain]] in 1574 under Kapudan Pasha [[Uluç Ali Reis]] that the Ottomans permanently acquired the former [[History of medieval Tunisia#Hafsid dynasty of Tunis|Hafsid Tunisia]], retaining it until the [[French conquest of Tunisia]] in 1881.

Initially under Turkish rule from Algiers, soon the [[Ottoman Porte]] appointed directly for [[Tunis]] a governor called the [[Pasha]] supported by [[janissary]] forces. Before long, however, Tunisia became in effect an autonomous province, under the local [[bey]]. Under its [[Turkish People|Turkish]] governors, the beys, Tunisia attained virtual independence. The [[Husainid Dynasty|Hussein dynasty]] of beys, established in 1705, lasted until 1957.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bosworth |first=Clifford Edmund |title=The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKpz_2CkoWEC&pg=PA55|year=2004 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-2137-8 |page=55}}</ref> This evolution of status was from time to time challenged without success by Algiers. During this era, the governing councils controlling Tunisia remained largely composed of a foreign elite who continued to conduct state business in the [[Turkish language]].

[[File:St Louis Cathedral - Carthage - Tunisia - 1899.jpg|thumb|St Louis Cathedral - Carthage - Tunisia - 1899]]
Attacks on European shipping were made by [[Barbary corsairs|corsairs]], primarily from Algiers, but also from Tunis and [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], yet after a long period of declining raids the growing power of the European states finally forced its termination.

The [[Second plague pandemic|plague epidemics]] ravaged Tunisia in 1784–1785, 1796–1797 and 1818–1820.<ref>{{cite book|last=Panzac |first= Daniel |title=Barbary Corsairs: The End of a Legend, 1800–1820|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_dyeFP5Hyc4C&pg=PA309|year=2005|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-12594-0|page=309}}</ref>

In the 19th century, the rulers of Tunisia became aware of the ongoing efforts at political and social [[Tanzimat|reform in the Ottoman capital]]. The Bey of Tunis then, by his own lights but informed by the Turkish example, attempted to effect a modernizing reform of institutions and the economy.<ref name="Clancy-Smith1997">{{cite book|last=Clancy-Smith |first= Julia A. |title=Rebel and Saint: Muslim Notables, Populist Protest, Colonial Encounters (Algeria and Tunisia, 1800–1904) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ApCtcGPHOxIC&pg=PA157 |year=1997 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-92037-8 |page=157}}</ref> Tunisian international debt grew unmanageable. This was the reason or pretext for French forces to establish a [[History of French era Tunisia|protectorate]] in 1881.

=== French Protectorate of Tunisia (1881–1956) ===
{{main|French protectorate of Tunisia}}
[[File:A Churchill tank and other vehicles parade through Tunis, 8 May 1943. NA2880.jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|British tank moves through Tunis after the city was taken from Axis troops, 8 May 1943.]]
In 1869, Tunisia declared itself bankrupt and an international financial commission took control over its economy. In 1881, using the pretext of a Tunisian incursion into [[Algeria]], the French invaded with an army of about 36,000 and forced the Bey of Tunis, [[Muhammad III as-Sadiq]], to agree to the terms of the 1881 [[Treaty of Bardo]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Gearon |first= Eamonn |title=The Sahara: A Cultural History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TKh_21ZERH4C&pg=PA117 |year=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-986195-8 |page=117}}</ref> With this treaty, Tunisia was officially made a [[French occupation of Tunisia|French protectorate]], over the objections of Italy. European settlements in the country were actively encouraged; the number of [[French people|French]] colonists grew from 34,000 in 1906 to 144,000 in 1945. In 1910 there were also 105,000 [[Italian Tunisians|Italians in Tunisia]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Ion Smeaton Munro|title=Through fascism to world power: a history of the revolution in Italy|year=1933|publisher=A. Maclehose & co.|page=221}}</ref>

During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the protectorate of Tunisia was controlled by the collaborationist [[Vichy France|Vichy]] government in Metropolitan France. The antisemitic [[Vichy anti-Jewish legislation|Statute on Jews]] enacted by the Vichy government was also implemented in Vichy-controlled Northwest Africa and other overseas French territories. Thus, the persecution and murder of the Jews from 1940 to 1943 was part of [[the Holocaust]] in France.

From November 1942 until May 1943, Vichy-controlled Tunisia was occupied by Germany. [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] Commander [[Walter Rauff]] continued to implement the "Final Solution" there. From 1942 to 1943, Tunisia was the scene of the [[Tunisia Campaign]], a series of battles between the [[Axis powers|Axis]] and [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] forces. The battle opened with initial success by the German and Italian forces, but the massive supply and numerical superiority of the Allies led to the [[Tunisian Campaign|Axis surrender]] on 13 May 1943.<ref>{{cite book|first=Gordon|last=Williamson|author-link=Gordon Williamson (writer)|title=Afrikakorps 1941–43|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1c44ccxC_sC&pg=PA24|year= 1991|publisher=Osprey |isbn=978-1-85532-130-4|page=24}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Palmer |first=Michael A. |title=The German Wars: A Concise History, 1859–1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4eHKE9NIwbMC&pg=PA199|year=2010|publisher=Zenith Imprint|isbn=978-0-7603-3780-6|page=199}}</ref> The six-month campaign of Tunisia's liberation from Axis occupation signalled the end of the war in Africa.

=== Struggle for independence (1943–1956) ===

After the liberation of Tunisia from the Germans, the French regained control over the government and made participation in a nationalist party illegal once more.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Rivlin |first=Benjamin |date=1952 |title=The Tunisian Nationalist Movement: Four Decades of Evolution |journal=Middle East Journal |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=167–193 |jstor=4322381 |issn=0026-3141}}</ref> [[Moncef Bey]], who was popular amongst Tunisians, was deposed by the French.<ref name=":02" /> The French claimed that his removal was due to him being sympathetic to the Axis countries during German occupation, but the real reason is up for debate.<ref name=":02" />

In 1945 after escaping French surveillance, Tunisian nationalist [[Habib Bourguiba]] arrived in [[Cairo]].<ref name=":02" /> While there, he was able to make contact with the [[Arab League]].<ref name=":02" /> Later in 1946, after traveling to other Middle Eastern countries, he made his way to the United States to speak to both the [[United Nations]] at their headquarters at [[Lake Success, New York|Lake Success]] and [[United States Department of State|U.S. State Department]] officials in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]], pleading the case of the Tunisian nationalists.<ref name=":02" />

As part of postwar Tunisia, a new all-Tunisian labor organization was formed, the [[Tunisian General Labour Union|Union Générale des Travailleurs (UGTT)]].<ref name=":02" /> This was one of the stronger components of the nationalist group [[Neo-Destour]].<ref name=":02" />

Habib Bourguiba made his way to the United States on 13 September 1949.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Houssi |first=Leila El |date=2017 |title=The History and Evolution of Independence Movements in Tunisia |journal=Oriente Moderno |volume=97 |issue=1 |pages=67–88 |doi=10.1163/22138617-12340139 |jstor=48572291 |issn=0030-5472}}</ref> He attended the [[American Federation of Labor]] meeting in [[San Francisco]], California.<ref name=":12" /> The French were opposed to his presence there, and the US feared political change in North Africa due to the looming presence of possible [[Soviet Union]] communist expansion.<ref name=":12" />

Bourguiba continued to plead to foreign leaders when he traveled to Italy on 6 November 1951.<ref name=":12" /> His contacts included [[Alberto Mellini Ponce De León]], [[Mario Toscano]], and [[Licinio Vestri]].<ref name=":12" /> De León was an old friend of Bourguiba who had helped free him from German captivity, Toscano was the head of the ''Ufficio Studi e Documentazione'' in the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]], and Vestri was an [[Africanist (discipline)|Africanist]] scholar.<ref name=":12" /> Despite his best efforts, the Italians remained neutral as they did not want to ruin relations with [[NATO]] ally France, nor did they want to hamper any possibility of future relations with Tunisia as it served as a key part of the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]].<ref name=":12" />

The French Resident General in Tunisia, {{ill|Jean de Hautecloque|de|Jean de Hauteclocque|fr}} left Tunis to go to Paris on 25 August 1953, when he was replaced by [[Pierre Voizard]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Levy |first=Henry L. |date=1955 |title=TUNISIA |journal=The American Jewish Year Book |volume=56 |pages=435–445 |jstor=23604900 |issn=0065-8987}}</ref> Voizard had previously been the French Minister to [[Monaco]].<ref name=":2" /> A month after his arrival in Tunis on 26 September 1953, Voizard made many changes to ease tensions in Tunisia.<ref name=":2" /> He lifted press censorship and freed several political prisoners.<ref name=":2" /> He also restored the full powers of civil authorities and raised the state of siege in the [[Sahel, Tunisia|Sahel]].<ref name=":2" />

On 26 January 1954, Voizard announced that there would soon be new reforms in favor of granting more sovereignty to Tunisians while insuring the interests of the French and French citizens in Tunisia, at the Cercle Republicain d'outre Mer in Paris.<ref name=":2" /> The Neo-Destour group was not in favor of these reforms if they themselves were not involved in their creation.<ref name=":2" /> They also demanded the freedom of Bourguiba who was imprisoned on the Isle of Galete.<ref name=":2" />

=== Post-independence (1956–2011) ===
{{main|History of modern Tunisia}}
[[File:Habib Bourguiba portrait4.jpg|thumb|[[Habib Bourguiba]] was the first president of Tunisia, from 1957 to 1987.|192x192px]]
Tunisia achieved independence from France on 20 March 1956 with [[Habib Bourguiba]] as Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14107720|title=Tunisia profile|date=2017-11-01|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-04-05|language=en-GB}}</ref> 20 March is celebrated annually as Tunisian Independence Day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00016135.html|title=Tunisia Celebrates Independence Day|date=20 March 2012|access-date=19 March 2019|website=[[AllAfrica.com]]}}</ref> A year later, Tunisia was declared a republic, with Bourguiba as [[List of Presidents of Tunisia|the first President]].<ref name = BBC>{{cite news | title = Habib Bourguiba: Father of Tunisia | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/obituaries/703907.stm | publisher = BBC | date = 6 April 2000}}</ref> From independence in 1956 until the 2011 revolution, the government and the [[Constitutional Democratic Rally]] (RCD), formerly [[Neo Destour]] and the [[Socialist Destourian Party]], were effectively one. Following a report by [[Amnesty International]], ''[[The Guardian]]'' called Tunisia "one of the most modern but repressive countries in the Arab world".<ref>{{cite news|last=Black |first= Ian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/13/amnesty-criticises-tunisia-human-rights |title=Amnesty International censures Tunisia over human rights |work=The Guardian |date= 13 July 2010|access-date=19 January 2013 |location=London}}</ref> On 12 May 1964, Tunisia nationalized foreign farmlands.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=23 May 1964 |title=Tunisia Will Seek Loan From Public |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/115791987|id={{ProQuest|115791987}} }}</ref> Immediately after, France canceled all financial assistance for the country, which was to amount to more than $40 million.<ref name=":1" /> This led to the Tunisian National Assembly passing a bill that required all residents of the country to subscribe to a "popular loan" in proportion to their income.<ref name=":1" /> From 1977 until 2005, Tunisia was a shooting location for five films of the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' film franchise.

In 1982, Tunisia became the center of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]], based in the capital Tunis.
[[File:Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.jpg|thumb|[[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]], president of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011|209x209px]]
In November 1987, doctors declared Bourguiba unfit to rule<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/obituaries/703907.stm|title=Habib Bourguiba: Father of Tunisia|type=obituary|website=BBC News|access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref> and, in a bloodless coup d'état, Prime Minister [[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]] assumed the presidency<ref name = BBC/> in accordance with Article 57 of the [[Tunisian constitution]].<ref>{{cite news|author=AP |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/07/world/a-coup-is-reported-in-tunisia.html?pagewanted=1 |title=A Coup Is Reported in Tunisia |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=7 November 1987 |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> The anniversary of Ben Ali's succession, 7 November, was celebrated as a national holiday. He was consistently re-elected with enormous majorities every five years (well over 80 percent of the vote), the last being 25 October 2009,<ref>{{cite web|last=Vely |first= Yannick |url=http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/International/Ben-Ali-tunisie-election-143751 |title=Ben Ali, sans discussion |publisher=ParisMatch.com |date=23 November 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> until he fled the country amid popular unrest in January 2011.

Ben Ali and his family were accused of corruption<ref name="sandiegounion-tribune.com">{{cite web|last1=Ganley |first1=Elaine |last2=Barchfield |first2=Jenny |url=http://www.sandiegounion-tribune.com/news/2011/jan/17/tunisians-hail-fall-of-ex-leaders-corrupt-family/ |title=Tunisians hail fall of ex-leader's corrupt family |publisher=Sandiegounion-tribune.com |date=17 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716003853/http://www.sandiegounion-tribune.com/news/2011/jan/17/tunisians-hail-fall-of-ex-leaders-corrupt-family/ |archive-date=16 July 2011 }}</ref> and plundering the country's money. Economic liberalisation provided further opportunities for financial mismanagement,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tsourapas|first=Gerasimos|s2cid=154822868|date=2013|title=The Other Side of a Neoliberal Miracle: Economic Reform and Political De-Liberalization in Ben Ali's Tunisia|journal=Mediterranean Politics|volume=18|issue=1|pages=23–41|doi=10.1080/13629395.2012.761475}}</ref> while corrupt members of the Trabelsi family, most notably in the cases of [[Imed Trabelsi]] and [[Belhassen Trabelsi]], controlled much of the business sector in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radicalparty.org/it/node/5065065 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008174858/http://www.radicalparty.org/it/node/5065065 |archive-date=8 October 2010 |title=Tunisie: comment s'enrichit le clan Ben Ali? |trans-title=Tunisia: how did the Ben Ali clan get rich? |language=fr|publisher=RadicalParty.org |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> The First Lady [[Leila Ben Ali]] was described as an "unabashed [[Oniomania|shopaholic]]" who used the state airplane to make frequent unofficial trips to Europe's fashion capitals.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Caught in the Net: Tunisia's First Lady|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2007/12/13/caught_in_the_net_tunisias_first_lady|magazine=Foreign Policy|date=13 December 2007}}</ref> Tunisia refused a French request for the extradition of two of the President's nephews, from Leila's side, who were accused by the French State prosecutor of having stolen two mega-yachts from a French marina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lci.tf1.fr/france/justice/2009-09/un-trafic-de-yachts-entre-la-france-et-la-tunisie-en-proces-4865862.html|title=Ajaccio – Un trafic de yachts entre la France et la Tunisie en procès|date=30 September 2009|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204309/http://lci.tf1.fr/france/justice/2009-09/un-trafic-de-yachts-entre-la-france-et-la-tunisie-en-proces-4865862.html|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> According to ''[[Le Monde]]'', Ben Ali's son-in-law was being primed to eventually take over the country.<ref>{{cite web|author=Florence Beaugé |url=http://www.tunisiawatch.com/?p=1141 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121043720/http://www.tunisiawatch.com/?p=1141 |archive-date=21 January 2011 |title=Le parcours fulgurant de Sakhr El-Materi, gendre du président tunisien Ben Ali |language=fr |trans-title=The meteoric career of Sakhr El-Materi, son-in-law of Tunisian President Ben Ali |work=Le Monde |date=24 October 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010 }}</ref>

Independent human rights groups, such as [[Amnesty International]], [[Freedom House]], and Protection International, documented that basic human and political rights were not respected.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/tunisia |title=Tunisia |publisher=Amnesty International |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=9 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509172440/http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/tunisia }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.protectionline.org/Kamel-Jendoubi-Sihem-Bensedrine.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429093617/http://www.protectionline.org/Kamel-Jendoubi-Sihem-Bensedrine.html |archive-date=29 April 2011 |title=Protectionline.org |publisher=Protectionline.org |date=18 January 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010 }}</ref> The regime obstructed in any way possible the work of local human rights organizations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/053/article_27950.asp |title=Droits de l'Homme: après le harcèlement, l'asphyxie |language=fr |trans-title=Human rights: after harassment, asphyxiation |publisher=RFI.fr |date=16 December 2004 |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=5 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505125306/http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/053/article_27950.asp }}</ref> In 2008, in terms of [[press freedom]], Tunisia was ranked 143rd out of 173.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fr.rsf.org/dans-le-monde-de-l-apres-11-22-10-2008,28879 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114230027/http://fr.rsf.org/dans-le-monde-de-l-apres-11-22-10-2008,28879 |archive-date=14 January 2011 |title=Dans le monde de l'après-11 septembre, seule la paix protège les libertés |publisher=RSF.org |date=22 October 2008 |access-date=2 May 2010 }}</ref>

=== Post-revolution (since 2011) ===
{{see also|Tunisian Revolution}}
[[File:Tunisia Unrest - VOA - Tunis 14 Jan 2011 (2).jpg|thumb|Tunis on 14 January 2011 during the [[Tunisian Revolution]]|242x242px|left]]
The Tunisian Revolution<ref>{{cite web|author=[[Yasmine Ryan]] |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/2011126121815985483.html |title=How Tunisia's revolution began |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=26 January 2011 |access-date=13 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/01/15/133592.html |title=Wikileaks might have triggered Tunis' revolution |work=Alarabiya |date=15 January 2011|access-date=13 February 2011}}</ref> was an intensive campaign of [[civil resistance]] that was precipitated by high [[unemployment]], [[food inflation]], [[corruption]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Spencer |first=Richard |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/tunisia/8258077/Tunisia-riots-US-warns-Middle-East-to-reform-or-be-overthrown.html |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010045358/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/tunisia/8258077/Tunisia-riots-Reform-or-be-overthrown-US-tells-Arab-states-amid-fresh-riots.html |archive-date=10 October 2017 |title=Tunisia riots: Reform or be overthrown, US tells Arab states amid fresh riots |work=The Telegraph|date= 13 January 2011|access-date=14 January 2011 |location=London}}</ref> a lack of [[freedom of speech]] and other [[political freedom]]s<ref>{{cite web|last=Ryan|first=Yasmine |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/20111614145839362.html |title=Tunisia's bitter cyberwar |work=Al Jazeera English |access-date=16 January 2011|date=14 January 2011}}</ref> and poor [[living conditions]]. Labour unions were said to be an integral part of the protests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenddemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11792083&Itemid=347 |title=Trade unions: the revolutionary social network at play in Egypt and Tunisia |publisher=Defenddemocracy.org |access-date=11 February 2011}}</ref> The protests inspired the [[Arab Spring]], a wave of similar actions throughout the Arab world. The catalyst for mass demonstrations was the death of [[Mohamed Bouazizi]], a 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor, who set himself afire on 17 December 2010 in protest at the confiscation of his wares and the humiliation inflicted on him by a municipal official named [[Faida Hamdy]]. Anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death on 4 January 2011, ultimately leading longtime [[President of Tunisia|President]] [[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]] to resign and flee the country on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The power and the people: paths of resistance in the Middle East|first=Charles|last=Tripp|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-80965-8|location=New York|oclc=780063882}}</ref>

Protests continued for banning of the ruling party and the eviction of all its members from the transitional government formed by [[Mohamed Ghannouchi|Mohammed Ghannouchi]]. Eventually the new government gave in to the demands. A Tunis court banned the ex-ruling party RCD and confiscated all its resources. A decree by the minister of the interior banned the "political police", special forces which were used to intimidate and persecute political activists.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2011/01/137_80292.html |title=When fleeing Tunisia, don't forget the gold |newspaper=Korea Times |date=25 January 2011 |access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref>

On 3 March 2011, the interim president announced that [[Tunisian Constituent Assembly election, 2011|elections to a Constituent Assembly]] would be held on 24 July 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Interim President Announces Election of National Constituent Assembly on July 24|date=3 March 2011|work=Tunis Afrique Presse|via=ProQuest}}</ref> On 9 June 2011, the prime minister announced the election would be postponed until 23 October 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Tunisian PM Announces October Date for Elections|date=9 June 2011|work=BBC Monitoring Middle East|via=ProQuest}}</ref> International and internal observers declared the vote free and fair. The [[Ennahda Movement]], formerly banned under the Ben Ali regime, came out of the election as the largest party, with 89 seats out of a total of 217.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tunisia Moves to the Next Stage|last1=El Amrani|first1=Issandr|last2=Lindsey|first2=Ursula|work=Middle East Report|publisher=[[Middle East Research and Information Project]]|date=8 November 2011|url=http://merip.org/mero/mero110811|access-date=1 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915101944/https://www.merip.org/mero/mero110811|archive-date=15 September 2018}}</ref> On 12 December 2011, former dissident and veteran human rights activist [[Moncef Marzouki]] was elected president.<ref>{{cite news|last=Zavis|first=Alexandra|title=Former dissident sworn in as Tunisia's president|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/tunisia-president-moncef-marzouki.html|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=13 December 2011|date=13 December 2011}}</ref> In March 2012, Ennahda declared it will not support making sharia the main source of legislation in the new constitution, maintaining the secular nature of the state. Ennahda's stance on the issue was criticized by hardline Islamists, who wanted strict sharia, but was welcomed by secular parties.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tunisia's constitution will not be based on Sharia: Islamist party|date=27 March 2012|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/03/27/203529.html|publisher=Al Arabiya|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref> On 6 February 2013, [[Chokri Belaid]], the leader of the leftist opposition and prominent critic of Ennahda, was assassinated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tunisian opposition leader Chokri Belaid shot dead outside his home|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/la-fg-wn-tunisian-leader-assassinated-20130206,0,4371497.story|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=18 February 2013|first=Jeffrey|last=Fleishman|date=6 February 2013}}</ref> In 2014, President [[Moncef Marzouki]] established Tunisia's [[Truth and Dignity Commission (Tunisia)|Truth and Dignity Commission]], as a key part of creating a national reconciliation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2014/06/09/tunisia-launches-truth-and-dignity-commission.html|title=Tunisia launches Truth and Dignity Commission|website=UNDP|date=9 June 2014|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401030751/https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2014/06/09/tunisia-launches-truth-and-dignity-commission.html}}</ref>

Tunisia was hit by two terror attacks on foreign tourists in 2015, [[Bardo National Museum attack|first killing 22 people]] at the [[Bardo National Museum (Tunis)|Bardo National Museum]], and [[2015 Sousse attacks|later killing 38 people]] at the [[Sousse]] beachfront. Tunisian president [[Beji Caid Essebsi]] renewed the state of emergency in October for three more months.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/10/why-is-the-state-of-emergency-renewed-three-times-tunisia.html|title=The real reason Tunisia renewed its state of emergency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220140248/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/10/why-is-the-state-of-emergency-renewed-three-times-tunisia.html|archive-date=20 December 2016}}</ref> The [[Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet]] won the 2015 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for its work in building a peaceful, pluralistic political order in Tunisia.<ref>"The Nobel Peace Prize 2015". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 15 December 2016.</ref>

==== Presidency of Kais Saied (2019–present) ====
Tunisia's first democratically elected president [[Beji Caid Essebsi]] died in July 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi dies aged 92 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190725-tunisia-president-essebsi-dies-aged-92 |work=France 24 |date=25 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Following him, [[Kais Saied]] became Tunisia's president after a landslide victory in the [[2019 Tunisian presidential election]]s in October.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-10-14|title=Tunisia election: Kais Saied to become president|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50032460|access-date=2021-03-26}}</ref> On 23 October 2019, Saied was sworn in as Tunisia's new president.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunisia's new president sworn in after surprise election win |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20191023-tunisia-s-new-president-sworn-in-after-surprise-election-win |work=France 24 |date=23 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

On 25 July 2021, amid ongoing demonstrations concerning government dysfunction and corruption and rises in [[COVID-19]] cases, Kais Saied unilaterally [[2021 Tunisian political crisis|suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister and withdrew immunity of parliament members]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yee|first=Vivian|date=2021-07-26|title=Tunisia's Democracy Verges on Dissolution as President Moves to Take Control|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/world/middleeast/tunisia-government-dismissed-protests.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/world/middleeast/tunisia-government-dismissed-protests.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited|access-date=2021-07-26|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-25|title=Tunisian president sacks PM, suspends parliament after violent protests|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210725-tunisian-president-saied-sacks-prime-minister-mechichi-suspends-parliament|access-date=2021-07-26|website=France 24|language=en}}</ref> In September 2021, Saied said he would appoint a committee to help draft new constitutional amendments.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunisian president moves to cement one-man rule |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/23/africa/tunisian-president-reforms-political-system-intl/index.html |access-date=24 September 2021 |work=CNN |agency=Reuters |date=23 September 2021}}</ref>{{Efn|The new constitution, which increased presidential powers, was passed in a [[2022 Tunisian constitutional referendum|referendum]] the following year with a turnout of only around 30%, amidst a widespread boycott.}} On 29 September, he named [[Najla Bouden]] as the new prime minister and tasked her with forming a [[Bouden Cabinet|cabinet]], which was sworn in on 11 October.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Amara|first1=Tarek|last2=Mcdowall|first2=Angus|date=2021-09-29|title=Tunisian leader names new PM with little experience at crisis moment|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisian-president-names-romdhane-prime-minister-2021-09-29/|access-date=2021-10-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-11|title=New Tunisian government sworn in|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/new-tunisian-government-sworn-in/2388732|access-date=2021-10-13|website=Anadolu Agency|location=Tunis}}</ref> On 3 February 2022, Tunisia was voted to the African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Council for the term 2022–2024, according to the Tunisian Foreign Ministry. The poll took place on the fringes of the AU Executive Council's 40th ordinary session, which was held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, according to the ministry.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunisia elected member of African Union security council |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/20220204/6e6021e10aa54258a50dc2edf902b6ad/c.html |access-date=4 February 2022 |publisher=Xinhua |date=4 February 2022}}</ref>

In February 2022, Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund held preliminary negotiations in the hopes of securing a multibillion-dollar bailout for an economy beset by recession, public debt, inflation, and unemployment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunisia's talks with the IMF: What's at stake? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/18/tunisias-talks-with-the-imf-whats-at-stake |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=Al Jazeera |agency=AFP |date=18 February 2022}}</ref>

In April 2023, the Tunisian government closed the headquarters of the [[Ennahda]] party and arrested its leader [[Rached Ghannouchi]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-17 |title=Tunisia closes offices of opposition party Ennahdha after arresting leader |url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230417-ennahda-leader-ghannouchi-detained-by-tunisian-police-party-says |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> In October 2023 [[Abir Moussi]], head of the [[Free Destourian Party|Free Destourian Party (FDL)]], became the latest prominent opponent of president Saied to have been detained or imprisoned.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tunisia arrests opposition figure as crackdown escalates – DW – 10/04/2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/tunisia-arrests-opposition-figure-as-crackdown-escalates/a-66994968 |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-10-04 |title=En Tunisie, l'opposante Abir Moussi placée en détention |language=fr |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2023/10/04/en-tunisie-l-opposante-abir-moussi-placee-en-detention_6192365_3212.html |access-date=2023-10-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-04 |title=Tunisia detains Abir Moussi, prominent opponent of president |url=https://arab.news/222h9 |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=red |first=ORF at/Agenturen |date=2023-10-04 |title=Tunesien: Erneut Oppositionspolitikerin festgenommen |url=https://orf.at/stories/3333468/ |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=news.ORF.at |language=de}}</ref> The FDL had emerged from the [[Democratic Constitutional Rally|Democratic Constitutional Assembly]].

In September 2023 Saied had asked to postpone a visit by a delegation of the [[European Commission|EU commission]] to discuss migration<ref>{{Cite web |title=EU, Tunisia sign €1 billion deal to fight illegal migration – DW – 07/16/2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/eu-tunisia-sign-1-billion-deal-to-fight-illegal-migration/a-66249005 |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> according to [[Ministry of the Interior (Tunisia)|Minister of the Interior]] [[Kamel Feki]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=red |first=ORF at/Agenturen |date=2023-09-30 |title=Tunesien verschiebt Besuch von EU-Delegation zu Migration |url=https://orf.at/stories/3333060/ |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=news.ORF.at |language=de}}</ref> Meanwhile, human rights organisations were criticizing the July migration agreement.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-28 |title=EU Commission Should Stop Ignoring Tunisia's Abuses Against Migrants {{!}} Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/09/28/eu-commission-should-stop-ignoring-tunisias-abuses-against-migrants |access-date=2023-09-30 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Migration as a weapon: Is Tunisia blackmailing the EU? – DW – 09/20/2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/migration-as-a-weapon-is-tunisia-blackmailing-the-eu/a-66874950 |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> Feki said that Tunisia, which is one of the most important transit countries for people on their way to Europe,<ref name=":4" /> cannot act as a border guard for other countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redazione |date=2023-10-01 |title=La Tunisia: non possiamo proteggere le frontiere di altri paesi |url=https://askanews.it/2023/10/01/la-tunisia-non-possiamo-proteggere-le-frontiere-di-altri-paesi |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Il Domani d'Italia |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=red |first=ORF at/Agenturen |date=2023-10-01 |title=Tunesien will nicht Grenzen anderer Länder überwachen |url=https://orf.at/stories/3333136/ |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=news.ORF.at |language=de}}</ref> In October 2023 Saied turned down 127 million in EU aid<ref>{{Cite web |last=red |first=ORF at/Agenturen |date=2023-10-03 |title=Tunesien lehnt EU-Finanzhilfe wegen Migrationsabkommens ab |url=https://orf.at/stories/3333324/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=news.ORF.at |language=de}}</ref> saying that the amount was small and doesn't square with a deal signed three months ago.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Amara |first=Tarek |date=2023-10-02 |title=Tunisia rejects EU financial aid, casting doubt on an immigration deal |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/tunisia-rejects-eu-financial-aid-casting-doubt-an-immigration-deal-2023-10-02/ |access-date=2023-10-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date=2023-10-03 |title=Tunisia: President Kais Saied rejects EU financial aid on immigration |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/03/tunisia-president-kais-saied-rejects-eu-financial-aid-on-immigration-deal/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=Africanews |language=en}}</ref> This in turn caused surprise in Brussels.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-05 |title=Tunisia can 'wire back' EU money if it doesn't want it: Commissioner |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/10/05/tunisia-is-free-to-wire-back-eu-money-if-it-doesnt-want-it-says-european-commissioner |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=euronews |language=en}}</ref> In April 2025, Tunisia dismantled dozens of makeshift camps housing African migrants, displacing as many as 7,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tunisian Authorities Raze Refugee Camps That Housed 7,000 |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2025/4/25/headlines/tunisian_authorities_raze_refugee_camps_that_housed_7_000 |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Democracy Now! |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-10 |title=Tunisia dismantles encampments housing migrants stranded en route to Europe |url=https://apnews.com/article/migrants-tunisia-coast-camps-d92fe18ebf792ae8ff8dacd6256a05c2 |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

On 6 October 2024, President Kais Saied won a second term with more than 90% of the vote in a [[2024 Tunisian presidential election|presidential election]] with a 28.8% turnout. Five political parties had urged people to boycott the elections.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunisia election: Kais Saied secures second term with 91% of votes |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx25ree1g18o |work=www.bbc.com}}</ref>