The President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, brought together the members of the team responsible for the Gabès environmental file on Saturday at the Carthage Palace, asking them to finalize and submit their final report “in the coming days”. This meeting comes at a time when the region is still marked by the repeated postponement of the judicial examination targeting the polluting units of the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) and by a call for a popular general strike.
In Carthage, the president presses for rapid action
According to a press release from the presidency, the meeting was devoted to examining “immediate solutions” in order to put an end to the environmental crisis that has been affecting Gabès for months.
Kaïs Saïed said he was monitoring the situation “on a daily basis”, paying tribute to residents for the patience and patriotism they showed in the face of repeated chemical leaks and episodes of poisoning.
The Head of State called for the proposed measures to be included in an overall strategic vision, while denouncing maintenance failures, corruption, arbitrary recruitment and opacity which, according to him, have worsened the situation within the GCT.
He also affirmed that attempts had been made in the past to silence a possible sale of the Tunisian Chemical Group and other public companies.
A final report expected in the coming days
Kaïs Saïed gave his instructions for the team responsible for the file to finalize its report in the next few days, so that operational measures can be implemented quickly.
The president reaffirmed that the right to a healthy environment is a fundamental right for all Tunisians, stressing that the State will have “no tolerance” in the face of practices that contributed to this crisis.
A fourth judicial adjournment which fuels anger
The presidential meeting takes place in a particularly tense local context.
For the fourth consecutive time, the summary hearing aimed at stopping the GCT’s polluting industrial units was adjourned, this time to December 25.
The postponement, motivated by the need to consult several ministries, aroused the indignation of citizens gathered in front of the court of first instance.
For the population, this is a new episode in a series of delays which, for years, have prevented any decisive decision in an issue where environmental degradation continues to worsen.
On December 4, Khayreddine Debaya, member of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, called for a popular general strike in Gabès.
This call strengthened citizen mobilization, fueled by the chemical leaks of September 2025 which caused several waves of poisonings, sometimes affecting dozens of people.
Closing the meeting, Kaïs Saïed urged Tunisians to demonstrate responsibility and place the national interest above all other considerations, reaffirming his determination to put an end to this crisis and prevent Tunisia from becoming “easy prey”.
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