Tunisian security uses teargas to clear railway

Tunisian security forces resorted to the use of teargas on Tuesday evening to disperse demonstrators who blocked the railways in the southern governorate of Sfax. The protest was against the closure of the city's port by sailors who objected to the decisions of Minister of Agriculture, Mohammed Ben Salem. A number of sailors on Tuesday denounced restrictions and strengthened penalties for arbitrary fishing set by the minister and shut down the Sidi Youssef Port on the Kerkennah Island. The move has halted the movement of boats between the island and the city of Sfax. Ben Salem had met with a group of Kerkenneh fishermen who tried to cross the Mediterranean in an attempt at illegal immigration in protest against arbitrary fishing. The minister demanded that the army and police pool efforts against the phenomenon and called on sailors to report violations.