More than 200 people were wounded as clashes between Tunisian security forces and thousands of protesters in the impoverished town of Siliana raged on for the second straight day.

More than 200 people were wounded as clashes between Tunisian security forces and thousands of protesters in the impoverished town of Siliana raged on for the second straight day.

FRANCE24’s Tunisia correspondent David Thomson was also injured by shotgun fire in the clash.

Angry protesters incensed the regional governor had failed to tackle unemployment amassed in the town center, with the clashes kicking off by early afternoon. Many protesters called for local officials to step down, citing chronic mismanagement of development funds in the poor farming region.

The country’s National Guard deployed armored vehicles as protesters erected makeshift barricades in the streets.
Protesters threw rocks at security forces, who responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

The interior ministry has not commented on the ongoing street clashes, though the prime minister’s office registered the concern with the unfolding events.

It also described as regrettable "the use of violence against the security forces, aggression at the headquarters of sovereignty, and attempts to damage public property," Agence France Presse reported.