One dead, dozens injured in southern Tunisian tribal clashes

A man was killed and dozens of people wounded, two seriously, in tribal clashes on Sunday that broke out over a land dispute in southern Tunisia, according to a hospital in the town of Medenine.

The inhabitants of the governorates of Medenine and Kebiliwere were fighting over the ownership of an area called Aïn Sekhouna, which is located between the two and boasts a hot spring in the middle of the desert. The governorates are close to the Libyan and Algerian borders.

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According to the official TAP news agency, security forces backed by military units used tear gas to disperse those involved, many of whom were armed with sticks and shotguns.

The security forces union reported 83 wounded who were transferred to nearby hospitals using ambulances from surrounding areas. TAP reported that four security officers were injured in the clashes and a security vehicle ransacked.

Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi gave instructions to the ministers of the interior and of defense to hold a crisis meeting in the hope of finding a solution to the dispute “by legal means.”