Deadly Heatwaves and Power Outages Spark Protests and Health Crisis in Tunisia

Hundreds of Tunisian citizens gathered in the streets of the capital Tunis to call for the resignation of President Kais Saied, driven by mounting anger over extreme summer temperatures, soaring living costs, and severe shortages of water and electricity.

Tunisia has faced a brutally hot summer, marked by a second major heatwave in late August that drove temperatures near 50ºC across multiple regions. On Wednesday, the central city of Kairouan hit 49.8ºC, while five other Tunisian cities ranked among the twenty hottest places globally on that day.

These extreme temperatures have triggered widespread power failures and water shortages. President Kais Saied addressed the crisis during a meeting at the Palace of Carthage, describing the disruptions as “deliberately planned acts of sabotage.”

Demonstrations have escalated over recent weeks, with protesters blaming the government for failing to manage worsening public services and living conditions. These rallies form part of a broader opposition movement that intensified after President Kais Saied assumed sweeping powers in July 2021 by suspending parliament and centralizing authority within the presidency. Demonstrators have rallied around the slogan “neither water, nor electricity, nor freedom.”

Meanwhile, a syndicate of young doctors issued a social media statement warning that emergency departments are seeing an unprecedented surge in hospital admissions and fatalities linked to heatstroke and extreme temperatures. The syndicate also reported deaths among prisoners in several emergency departments, noting that medical staff are facing extreme exhaustion as pressure overwhelms the healthcare infrastructure.

In response, the medical syndicate urged the government to immediately declare a public health emergency to mobilize extra resources and coordinate a nationwide response. Grassroots efforts are also emerging, with online initiatives supplying clean drinking water, local coffee shops offering free water refills, and Tunisians living abroad organizing the distribution of water filters for loved ones back home.