Tunisia outages caused by deliberate acts, Saied says

Tunisian President Kais Saied said Thursday that deliberate acts were behind prolonged water and electricity cuts as the country faces summer heat that has pushed temperatures near 50 degrees Celsius.

Saied said the outages, which can last more than 10 hours in some areas including the capital, were “not simply temporary or isolated cases” and “did not result from ordinary breakdowns”.

He said they stemmed from “premeditated acts aimed at inflaming the situation by all means and spreading lies and rumours to sow confusion”. Saied did not identify who he believed was behind the acts.

The statement came after a cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani, other ministers and the heads of the state-run electricity and water companies, STEG and SONEDE.

STEG has published schedules for power cuts, which it says are load shedding intended to ease pressure on its network. The notices list affected towns and neighbourhoods, including in the greater Tunis area, home to nearly 3 million people.

Water cuts have also become frequent because much of Tunisia's water supply depends on electric pumps disrupted during power outages. A shortage of bottled water has also been linked to the outages, with supermarkets imposing purchase quotas and many small shops quickly running out.

Saied has ruled with near-total power since 2021. Rights groups have criticised a rollback on freedoms since his 2021 power grab, and dozens of his critics have been prosecuted or jailed.