(CNN) -- Tunisian Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane has resigned from the unity government formed after the ouster of longtime strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the state news agency announced Thursday.
Morjane was a holdover from Ben Ali's government, having served as foreign minister for about a year and as defense minister before that. There was no immediate explanation for his resignation, but protesters who toppled Ben Ali after 23 years in power have complained that the new government is dominated by old-guard officials.
Ben Ali fled Tunisia for Saudi Arabia on January 14 after weeks of protests against poor living conditions, high unemployment, government corruption and repression. The United Nations says the protests have left more than 100 dead.
U.S. diplomatic cables released since November by the website WikiLeaks painted a scathing portrait of Ben Ali and his relatives, describing the extended family as a "quasi-mafia" that pushed businesses for a slice of any venture they were involved in.
Tunisian authorities announced Wednesday that they had issued an arrest warrant for the ex-leader, his wife and several of their relatives. Tunisian Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said they face a variety of charges, such as maintaining and exporting foreign currency illegally, carrying weapons and ammunition without licenses, and inciting armed violence between Tunisians.
Some of Ben Ali's relatives have been arrested and others are still at large, he said in remarks carried by the state news agency, Tunis Afrique Presse.
The grass-roots uprising that toppled Ben Ali has emboldened people in Egypt, Yemen and Algeria to take their complaints to the streets. But several analysts have told CNN that Tunisia's unique combination of repression, corruption and high unemployment make it unlikely that the revolt that ousted Ben Ali will be duplicated elsewhere in the region.
No comments:
Post a Comment