Hatimaye rais wa Tunisia asalimu amri mbele ya nguvu ya umma!

[Mzee wa Rula]

Wale ni waarabu bwana hawana longolongo wakiamua lakini kwetu bongo watu bado ni waoga lakini watu wameanza kubadilika altitude kidogo kidogo kama mambo yakiendelea hivi hivi.

 

[Dr Lizzy]

Atleast huyo ni muungwana!!Hapa kwetu itakua kama kumpigia mbuzi gitaa!Hata tuuane kama kuku sidhani kama anaweza kuachia ngazi kwa hiari!

 

[tzjamani]

Elimu ya uraia na ujasiri wa kuhoji unaongezeka kwa waTZ kwa hiyo naamini tutafika. Ni kama kwenye familia enzi zetu mzazi huwezi kumuuliza au kuhoji kitu.
Ila watoto wa siku hizi hataogopa kukuliza maswali magumu.

 

[EMT]

President Ben Ali dissolved his government and the country's parliament, declared a state of emergency, and then ran away. Unconfirmed reports say Mr Ben Ali and his family have left Tunisia, and that he is looking for a place of asylum. French media say President Nicolas Sarkozy has rejected a request for his plane to land in France. If his plane lands in Tanzania, should we offer him asylum?

President Ben Ali, who had already promised to step down in 2014, was last re-elected in 2009 with 89.62% of the vote!! But when the wananchi of Tunisia said they had enough of him and he must go, the President had no option but leave.

The whole incident reminds me of that poster in Arusha which said: KUFA KWA HESHIMA NI BORA KULIKO KUISHI KWA AIBU. We have to remember that the protests started because of a very unlikely event which happened few days ago. Apparently, an unemployed graduate set himself on fire when police tried to prevent him from selling vegetables without a permit. He died a few weeks later.

This was the last straw which caused the protest. So, the guy who set fire himself because he was refused to sell vegetables despite having a degree, ALIKUFA KWA HESHIMA while the run away former President Ben Ali ATAISHI KWA AIBU.

 

[niweze]

Wana Jamii Tumeona Nguvu ya Maandamano na Mapigano ya Amani. Waliokuwa Wanafuatilia Huko Tunisia ni Kweli Wananchi Ndio Wana Final Say Sio Polisi au Jeshi. Maandamano Yalipoanza Tu, Raisi Ben Ali Kaleta Polisi na Kuwapiga Risasi na Kuwaua Wananchi Vijana wa Tunisia Kama Ilivyo Arusha. Kitu cha Kutia Nguvu Leo Hawa Hawa Wananchi Walikuwa Wanapigwa na Kusukumwa Leo "Wanasherehekewa na Taifa Zima la Tunisia" Matatizo ya Tunisia ni Yale Yale Tanzania, Hakuna Ajira, Ukiukaji wa Haki za Binadamu - Bila Katiba, Rushwa na Wizi wa Viongozi. Jana Ilibidi Ben Ali Atangaze Kwamba Atondoka Madarakani Baada ya Miaka Mitatu, Kama JK Anavyo Wadanganya Watanzania Ataunda Katiba. Leo Tunasheherekea Ben Ali Ameamua Kuondoka Madarakani na Kukimbilia Dubai. Kuna Wananchi Tanzania Hawa Jiamini Kabisa na Bado Wanafikiri Wakikaa Majumbani Jk na CCM Wataamua Siku Moja Kuondoka Serikalini. Vyama Kama CCM Vitaondoka Madarakani Only kwa Sauti ya Wananchi. Sauti ya Wananchi Leo ni Maandamano Nchi Nzima na Kuonyesha Jinsi Gani Tumechoka na Tunalipenda Taifa Letu. Tukumbuke "Taifa la Tanzania Halina Udhaifu Wowote ni Sisi Wananchi" Vijana na Wananchi Africa Kote Wanaleta Mabadiliko Nchini Mwao, Sisi Tunasubiri Nini? JK Anasubiri Nini Ukulu?

Veteran Tunisian leader quits after protests | Top News | Reuters

 

[Nyambala]

Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out

Police fire tear gas at protesters outside the interior ministry


Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has stepped down after 23 years in power as protests over economic issues snowballed into rallies against him.

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has taken over as interim president, and a state of emergency has been declared.
Mr Ben Ali and his family are said to have left Tunisia, and are now looking for a place of asylum.

Unconfirmed reports suggest his plane has arrived in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
Earlier, French media said President Nicolas Sarkozy had rejected a request for the aircraft to land in France.

Continue reading the main story Analysis

Wyre Davies BBC News, Tunis
The protesters have put their bodies on the line, and many people have been killed. Tonight, they ignored the curfew to celebrate on the streets.

At the end of a dramatic day, President Ben Ali fled, no longer able to hold back the growing tide of public discontent and anger with his regime.

Now the protesters will want to see the fruits of their demonstrations.
They won't settle for meagre reform, they won't settle for the same elite remaining in power. They're very happy that the president has gone, but they don't like the regime that surrounded him, and they'll want his cronies out as well.

Dozens of people have died in recent weeks as unrest has swept the country and security forces have cracked down on demonstrations over unemployment, food price rises and corruption.

The protests started after an unemployed graduate set himself on fire when police tried to prevent him from selling vegetables without a permit. He died a few weeks later.

The protests came to a head on Friday as thousands of people gathered outside the interior ministry, a symbol of the regime, and many climbed onto its roof. Police responded with volleys of tear-gas grenades.
President Ben Ali, who had already promised to step down in 2014, dissolved his government and the country's parliament, and declared a state of emergency.

Then, in a televised address on Friday afternoon, the prime minister announced that he would be taking over from President Ben Ali.

Mr Ghannouchi, 69, a former finance minister who has been prime minister since 1999, promised to "respect the law and to carry out the political, economic and social reforms that have been announced".

Click to

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi: "I assume responsibilities of the president"

Witnesses say soldiers have begun taking down portraits of Mr Ben Ali - an ubiquitous sign of his authoritarian rule - from billboards and on the walls of public buildings around the country
.
A BBC Arab affairs analyst, Magdi Abdelhadi, says Mr Ben Ali's demise may rattle the entire post-colonial order in North Africa and the wider Arab world.

Stranded tourists
The state of emergency decree bans gatherings of more than three people and imposes a night-time curfew. Security forces have been authorised to open fire on people not obeying their orders.

President Sarkozy said he stood side-by-side with the citizens of Tunisia, his country's former protectorate.
"Only dialogue can bring a democratic and lasting solution to the current crisis," said Mr Sarkozy in a statement.

Continue reading the main story Fall from power

• 17 Dec: A graduate sets himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid over lack of jobs, sparking protests
• 24 Dec: Protester shot dead in central Tunisia
• 28 Dec: Protests spread to Tunis
• 8-10 Jan: Dozens of deaths reported in crackdown on protests
• 12 Jan: Interior ministry sacked
• 13 Jan: President Ben Ali promises to step down in 2014
• 14 Jan: President dissolves government and parliament, then steps down

US President Barack Obama condemned violence against Tunisian citizens "peacefully voicing their opinion in Tunisia".


In a statement, he said: "I applaud the courage and dignity of the Tunisian people.
"I urge all parties to maintain calm and avoid violence, and call on the Tunisian government to respect human rights, and to hold free and fair elections in the near future that reflect the true will and aspirations of the Tunisian people."

UK travel agents have scrambled to pull hundreds of tourists out of the country, and companies including Thomson, First Choice and Thomas Cook have cancelled flights scheduled to leave for Monastir on Sunday.
The UK, the US and France are among the countries advising against non-essential travel to Tunisia.

"The situation is unpredictable and there is the potential for violence to flare up, raising the risk of getting caught up in demonstrations," the UK Foreign Office said in its latest travel advisory.

Mr Ben Ali, 74, was only Tunisia's second president since independence from France in 1956. He was last re-elected in 2009 with 89.62% of the vote.

 

[BAK]

Hii inaitwa Wikileaks revolution...bado kwetu sasa maana uongozi uliokuwa madarakani hauna tofauti hata kidogo na uongozi wa huyu jamaa aliyekimbia nchi.

 

[BAK]

'First Wikileaks Revolution': Tunisia riots blamed on cables which revealed country's corruption



By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 10:18 PM on 14th January 2011

• President Ben Ali goes into exile after 23 years in power
  
• Published US Embassy cables likened President's family to a Mafia elite
  
• Department of State issues travel alert to avoid the north African country
  
• Riots have claimed 23 lives so far this week
  

Revolution: President Ben Ali has gone into exile after angry demonstrations turned to riots following the Wikileaks' publication of cables detailing the corruption of the country's elite


Events in Tunisia have led to it being called the 'First Wikileaks Revolution'.
Although there has long been opposition to the corrupt rule of President Ben Ali, protests gathered pace when US embassy cables were published by Wikileaks.

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has fled the North African state he ruled for 23 years and has gone into exile. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has taken charge as the interim leader.
A recently released June 2009 cable referred to the president and his siblings as 'The Family', likening them to a Mafia elite who ran Tunisia's economy.

The cables, published in December, also claimed that the president's wife - Leila Ben Ali - had made huge profits out of the building of an exclusive school.

The cables lifted the veil on the corruption of the country's elite. Another cable which detailed how much the first family was loathed was blocked.

Within weeks, word of mouth had forced protestors onto the streets, culminating in yesterday's revolution.

In the banned cable, US ambassador Robert Godec wrote: 'Corruption in the inner circle is growing. Even average Tunisians are now keenly aware of it, and the chorus of complaints is rising.

'Tunisians intensely dislike, even hate, first lady Leila Trabelsi and her family. In private, regime opponents mock her.'

Mr Godec headlined some of the passages in the banned cable as 'The Sky's the Limit,' 'All in the Family,' 'Yacht Wanted,' 'Show Me Your Money', to show how the Ben Alis were operating.

American travellers were yesterday warned against non-essential travel to the north African country amid the risk of violence during demonstrations in the country.

Enlarge Fire takes hold at a seaside villa in the chic Mediterranean resort of Hammamet which is popular with Europeans and the country's ruling class. The building is said to belong to a member of the Tunisian president's inner circle

'Assassin': Protesters took to the streets in Tunis today and claimed that President Ben Ali, who made an impassioned speech last night, will not be forgiven after 23 died in the riots

Riots: A youth hurls a pole as a fire rages in the Tunisian capital Tunis
The Department of State's travel alert warned of 'intesifying political and social unrest' including clashes between protesters and police that have resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries.

'The unrest has recently spread to Tunis and all major cities, including popular tourist destinations', the travel alert said.

'While these disturbances appear to be triggered by economic concerns, and not to be directed toward Westerners, US citizens are urged to remain alert to local security developments and to be vigilant regarding their personal security', the alert continued.

Deadly clashes between protesters and security forces occured yesterday in Tunis and its suburbs in an unprecedented challenge to the regime, which has claimed 23 lives so far this week.
Police crackdowns in the past month have resulted in 66 deaths, according to an international human rights organisation.

Unrelenting: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (centre) has vowed his site's activities will continue and he is stepping up publishing for matters related to 'cablegate'


The riots, which have been rumbling all month and have gripped the nation, have been caused by levels of high unemployment and general disenchantment with a government some view as corrupt.

President Ben Ali, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1987, had said he would leave the presidency when his term ends in 2014 but has now been forced to leave immediately.

He ordered prices on food to be slashed and made pledges for political and media freedom.

Hundreds of people took to the street of the capital Tunis today to march after Mr Ben Ali read out the list of promises and concessions.

Some protesters carried posters reading 'We won't forget', a reference to the 23 deaths - though Mr Ben Ali's opposition party believe that there are dozens more than that.

The International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, known by its French acronym FIDH, said yesterday it has tallied 66 dead in the unrest so far, including seven people who killed themselves.

The peaceful march came as Tunisia's only legal trade union went ahead today with a symbolic two-hour strike in the region of the capital.

Deadly: The Tunisian government say that 23 people have been killed in the riots, but the opposition party claim the real figure is much higher

In spite of his televised address to the nation last night vowing to make concessions Tunisians still blame President Ben Ali for the country's ills

The deadly riots have destabilised the authority of Mr Ben Ali, who has led the country for 23 years.

And he has been forced to be unusually contrite ordering prices on sugar, milk and bread to be dropped.

Buoyant crowds spilled into the streets after his speech, many cheering his price cuts but some questioning his commitment to real change.

Calling for a 'cease-fire', Mr Ben Ali, 74, told his nation in a televised speech: 'I have understood you.

'I have understood the demands about unemployment, the demands about necessities, and the political demands for more freedoms.'

Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said this week that they fear he could face execution in the United States if he is extradited to Sweden.

The 39-year-old whistleblower is wanted by the Swedish authorities over claims that he sexually assaulted two women during a visit to Stockholm in August.

But his defence team believe there is a 'real risk' he could be extradited on to the U.S., where he could be detained in Guantanamo Bay or even face the death penalty.

The claim emerged in a skeleton argument released by Assange's lawyers in the wake of a preparatory legal hearing at Woolwich Crown Court in London.

Assange's legal team suggested that extraditing him to Sweden could breach Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which bans torture.

They wrote: 'It is submitted that there is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the U.S. will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the USA, where there will be a risk of him being detained at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere, in conditions which would breach Article 3 of the ECHR.

'Indeed, if Mr Assange were rendered to the USA without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty.'

Angry: A rioter hurls a rock at the police in Regueb, near Sidi Bouzid

Anarchy: A fire rages in the capital Tunis as chaos reigns

Assange's lawyers will begin a full two-day extradition hearing on February 7.

Speaking outside court after the hearing, Assange said he was 'happy about today's outcome' and vowed that WikiLeaks's activities would continue.

'I would also like to say that our work with WikiLeaks continues unabated and we are stepping up our publishing for matters relating to 'cablegate' and other materials,' he went on.

'This will shortly be occurring through our newspaper partners around the world, big and small newspapers and some human rights organisations.'

The computer programmer was released on $315,000 bail by a High Court judge last month after spending nine days in Wandsworth Prison.

Protests: The violence reached Tunis on Thursday, provoking the president to make a passionate speech

He denies committing any offences and his supporters claim the criminal inquiry and extradition request is unfair and politically motivated.
The controversial figure was behind the release of hundreds of United States diplomatic cables, as well as information about the Iraq war, that sparked global uproar.

Assange recently signed a book deal for his life story as the U.S. authorities stepped up their pressure on WikiLeaks by demanding information from Twitter.

 

[Nyambala]

Hii inaitwa Wikileaks revolution...bado kwetu sasa maana uongozi uliokuwa madarakani hauna tofauti hata kidogo na uongozi wa huyu jamaa aliyekimbia nchi.

Unajua mkuu Tunisia has been regarded one of the most stable countries in Africa, the first one ofcourse in stability. No one would have imagined kilichotokea hata last week tu.

JK kama kawaida na wapambe wake will treat this as an isolated incidence na ndipo hapo watajikuta it is too late.

 

[nomasana]

It's thought that wikileaks may have been an inspiration to the discontented citizens!

then glory be to the wikileaks.

this guy has been in power for 23 yrs and peoples lives arent getting better. it was time for him to go

 

[Ritz]

Chadema bwana leo wanayatamani mambo ya wanywa kahawa na kashata na tende

 

[pascaldaudi]

Je nchi za kiafrika zinazoendelea kukumabatia mifumo yenye mianya ya rushwa na kutokusikiliza vilio vya wananchi wanaozidi kuteseka na maisha magumu, zinajifunza nini juu ya kukimbia nchi huyu rais????

 

[Kagemro]

Shusha jazba, he is the president of united republic of Tanzania.

what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,hakuna mtu anaweza kusmkubali kikwete kuwa ni raisi,more than a stupid man.mangamuzi ya kuzimu yamemzidia.

 

[Mbaha]

Wana JF Kitu kikubwa cha kujifunza toka Tunisia ni kwamba hakuna lisilowezekana kama wananchi wakiamua! Tunisia people decided to put their bodies on the line and they achieved what they have achieved for a price... lives of their fellow citizens. They've sacrificed their lives for their country. That's something most of us Tanzania are reluctant to do. Kama mwana JF mmoja alivyosema "It's better dying standing than living while on your knees" CCM na serikali yake inang'oleka kabisa kama tutaacha woga na kuishinikiza kama walivyofanya wenzetu! After all CCM has rendered us as good as dead anyway!!

 

[Lyceum]

Wanandugu, hatimae nguvu ya uma umeng'oa mkwere wa Tunisia Ben Ali. Amekimbilia Saudia. Big up ben. (source: aljazeera). Itawezekana bongo?

 

[CPU]

Wananchi wa Tunisia wamesimama pamoja wakitaka rais wao a-risign. Je na sisi kweli tushindwa hili? Ni nini kinatuzuia?
source: BBC News - Tunisian protests: Tunis marchers urge Ben Ali to go

Uhuru hauji bila kumwaga damu ya binadamu, ingawaje sitaki imwagike hata tone

 

[Mkono]

viongozi wetu hasa chadema nao wanatuangusha wamepata nafasi ya arusha wameshindwa kuitisha maandamano hadi hasira zimepoa

 

[Chapakazi]

Natoa pongezi zangu za dhati kwa watu wa Tunisia!

 

[KIMBURU]

Ngoja wajidai vichwangumu wawalipe Dowans, hapo ndipo watakapoijua vizuri definition ya "NGUVU YA UMMA" na ndipo watakapofuata nyayo za mwenzao Ben Ali bila kupenda.

 

[BLUE BALAA]

Democracy