Tunisian President Inspects Industrial Pollution Crisis in Gabès

Tunisian President Kais Saied made a surprise, unannounced visit to the city of Gabès to personally assess the scale of the environmental disaster plaguing the region. During his field tour, the head of state emphasized the need to immediately halt pollution sources, calling for radical measures to ensure the protection of citizens' health and the surrounding environment.

Urgent Demands and Structural Solutions

President Kais Saied affirmed that addressing this crisis requires more than just promises; it demands precise action plans encompassing technical and financial aspects. He stressed that solutions must be swift to rescue the current situation, as well as structurally sustainable to prevent the recurrence of environmental disasters in the near or distant future.

This presidential acceleration follows the President's receipt of the final report issued by the team tasked with studying the Gabès environmental file in January 2026. This report contained strict and detailed recommendations on how to address the decades-old industrial pollution in the coastal area.

Background of the Crisis and Health Impacts

The roots of the environmental suffering in Gabès lie in the intensive activity of the Chemical Complex, which handles phosphate conversion and the production of fertilizers and various chemical materials. This activity has led to toxic emissions and the discharge of harmful waste into the seas, creating an unhealthy environment for local residents over many years.

The intensity of this crisis recently peaked when more than thirty students in schools in the Sidi Salama area suffered from suffocation and fainting. This serious incident was directly attributed to the leakage of toxic gases from the industrial units of the Chemical Complex, intensifying public demands for accountability regarding pollution.

Thus, the latest incident represents a turning point in the public discourse on industrial safety and public health in southern Tunisia. Local and national authorities look forward to the actual implementation of presidential recommendations to prevent such human and environmental tragedies from recurring in the coming days.