Tunisian president sacks prime minister amid economic and migration crisis

TUNIS (Reuters) -Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year after his appointment, and named Sara Zaafarani as his replacement, amid a faltering economy and a worsening flood of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa countries.

Zaafarani, who is an engineer and served as minister of Equipment and Housing since 2021, is the third prime minister in less than two years.

In recent months, Saied has sharply criticized the performance of ministers, saying many they have not met the required standards and that the expectations of the Tunisian people are high. Last, month he sacked Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri.

Economic growth has not exceeded 1.4% in the past year, and the North African country's public finances face a severe crisis that has led to shortages of key commodities including sugar, rice and coffee.

"We will continue the liberation battle until justice prevails for all citizens ... We will continue to thwart all conspiracies", Saied said in a speech at a National Security Council meeting on Friday.

The country also is facing widespread criticism over an unprecedented migrant crisis, as thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants are flocking to Tunisia seeking to reach the Italian coast.

Thousands of them are living in tents in forests in Amra and Jbeniana after authorities prevented them from reaching Europe by sea.

While the migrants frequently clash with local residents who want them deported from their area, local human rights groups accuse the authorities of racist rhetoric and incitement against migrants.

Saied seized extra powers in 2021 when he shut down the

elected parliament and moved to rule by decree before assuming

authority over the judiciary. The opposition described the move as a coup.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Tarek Amara; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kim Coghill)