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Police Tear gas was fired into a crowd in the southern Tunisian city of Gabes and several protesters and riot police were injured as thousands marched on Wednesday to protest worsening air pollution from a phosphate-processing plant.
The protest escalated into clashes with police, who attempted to disperse protesters trying to reach the plant in an industrial complex, which is a designated military zone. Gabes, home to more than 400,000 residents, is located at the center of Tunisia’s phosphate industry, one of the major sources of export revenue for the North African country.
Wednesday’s protests were the latest following a gas leak near Tunisia’s state-owned Chemical Group industrial complex. The leak sent dozens of residents, including children, to hospitals in recent weeks, according to the environmental activist group “Stop Pollution.”
The spill rekindled long-standing anger in the coastal city, where residents blame more than five decades of industrial activity for rising cancer rates, respiratory illnesses and the collapse of the area’s once thriving and unique ecosystem.
By Wednesday night, the streets were filled with tear gas, burning tires and trash as protesters blocked major roads and chanted slogans against what they called “environmental crimes.” Many demanded the dissolution of GCT and the closure of its phosphate units, which they accused of slowly poisoning Gabes.
The city’s chemical complex processes raw phosphate into fertilizer, an operation that for decades released toxic waste directly into the Gulf of Gabes. Environmental groups say pollution has destroyed marine life, darkened the waters and put generations of fishermen out of work.
Tunisian governments have promised to relocate or modernize the plant, but environmental activists say those promises have repeatedly gone unfulfilled.
Tunisia’s National Agricultural Observatory has repeatedly warned that air quality in parts of Gabes exceeds prescribed limits. World Health OrganizationEnvironmental experts have repeatedly noted persistently high levels of sulfur dioxide and ammonia in the atmosphere, pollutants that cause respiratory damage and contribute to acid rain.
“Our whole lives have been ruined by the smell and smoke that we inhale every day,” said Henen, 30, who declined to give her last name for fear of retribution.
On the sidelines of Wednesday’s protest, he told The Associated Press that tensions have risen in recent weeks after a new gas leak sent a wave of panic through the community.
“They refused to tell us what was causing people to fall ill, even as children were hospitalized and some became paralyzed,” he said. “They ignored our concerns and called us liars, and that made people angry… We want this complex demolished, and we will not stop until that happens.”
GCT acknowledged “major non-conformities” in its operations in a July 2025 environmental audit, citing excessive ammonia and other emissions that fall short of global environmental standards. Despite acknowledgments by the company, the government and even Tunisian President Kais Saied, residents say no apparent action has been taken.
Saeed said in a statement earlier this week that he ordered the formation of an immediate joint commission to address the demands of the protesters.
“Serious failures were found in maintenance and testing, which led to the gas leak. There will be no tolerance for those neglecting their duties,” Saeed said. “The people of Gabes will get their full rights.”