Tunisian Social Observatory 

January 2026 Report 

Rise in Social Movements: Persistent Job Insecurity and Renewed Demands from the Unemployed 

The first month of 2026 was marked by a significant increase in the pace of protests. January recorded 501 protest actions, representing an increase of approximately 23% compared to the same period in 2025, when 386 actions were recorded. Compared to January 2024, which saw a marked slowdown with only 137 recorded movements, the level of mobilization has thus increased by 73%. 

The resurgence of mobilizations and demands forms part of a social cycle that has been ongoing for over a year. After a period of relative withdrawal from the public scene, this movement marks the end of the “truce” observed during a phase characterized by official discourse, full of promises and commitments, and a series of electoral and political deadlines. 

Protests related to the resolution of professional situations and tenure, the right to employment for unemployed graduates, the improvement of working conditions, the payment of indemnities and salaries, the implementation of recruitment rights, and the application of agreements concerning pending cases — such as those of construction workers, teachers, and substitute professors — accounted for 48.5% of all movements recorded in January 2026. 

The demands expressed during the first month of the year reflect a general situation of professional instability, largely linked to unpaid salaries and allowances, as well as delays in the approval of promotions. They also focus on improving working conditions, paying deferred salary increases, resuming negotiations after the closure of social dialogue, and addressing the repression of union activity in both public and private institutions. The movement also continues to call for an end to the subcontracting system and the regularization of the situation of agricultural workers and substitute teachers. 

In January, mobilizations related to Law No. 18 of 2025 on employment for unemployed higher education graduates — adopted to replace Law No. 38, which was ultimately withdrawn — intensified. Actions were organized across several governorates to demand the accelerated publication of implementing decrees for the new law, the opening of a registration platform, and the establishment of a clear schedule for the launch of the first wave of recruitment planned for March 2026. 

Civil and political movements also played a significant role in January. They ranked second in terms of the nature of mobilizations, representing approximately 23% of all actions recorded by the Tunisian Social Observatory team. These demands notably focused on the criminalization of associative work and infringements on public freedoms. 

The month was also marked by mobilizations related to the case of activist Abdallah Saïd, who was arrested for his civic activities, as well as by demands calling for the annulment of disciplinary sanctions and dismissals targeting several trade unionists, and by calls for the release of journalist Chadha Haj Moubarak. She was ultimately released after the Tunis Court of Appeal, during the hearing on January 13, 2026, reduced her sentence from five years to two years, with a suspension of execution. 

Other actions focused on demands to halt politically motivated prosecutions against several judges, as well as developments related to what is known as the “conspiracy case.” Additionally, the period saw tensions and protests in the Redeyef region following the death of nurse Azhar, who succumbed to her burns at the local hospital. Mobilizations by the Liberation Party were also observed, alongside demonstrations in support of Palestinian prisoners and calling for an end to the aggression against Gaza. 

The Tunisian Social Observatory team also recorded citizen mobilizations demanding the availability of essential goods, particularly domestic gas cylinders, whose disappearance from the market coincided with cold waves and falling temperatures, creating a climate of tension and anger in several regions. Residents also mobilized to demand access to basic public services, including potable water, connections to electricity and gas networks, improved infrastructure, road paving, an end to isolation, reduction of industrial and domestic pollution, establishment of public transportation, securing educational institutions, improving health services, and the creation of sports facilities. 

The wave of protests was primarily concentrated in the Central region, particularly in Tunis, where 151 movements were recorded. The governorate of Gafsa ranked second with 107 movements, followed by Manouba with 31 actions. Next were the governorates of Tataouine and Nabeul, each with 24 movements, then Sfax with 20 movements. Kasserine recorded 17 movements, while Kairouan and Béja each had 11. Finally, Zaghouan and Le Kef were at the bottom of the ranking, with three movements each during January. 

January also saw a gendered distribution of certain mobilizations: 13 protests were organized by women, compared to 50 initiated by men, while the remaining actions were of a mixed nature. 

Public squares, streets, roads, government offices, ministries, and prisons remain the main spaces for protest and mobilization, accounting for over 60% of action venues, compared to 40% for digital platforms, where demands were expressed or relayed. 

Social actors used various forms of protest: gatherings and pickets were observed 133 times, hunger strikes 65 times (including 25 inside prisons), general strikes 49 times, sit-ins 31 times, and the wearing of red armbands 22 times. In addition to statements and calls for assistance, some actions included road blockages, disruptions of activities, tire burning, and threats to halt work or classes. 

The participants in the mobilizations — including workers, employees, residents, civil society activists, students, pupils and their parents, lawyers, detainees, teachers, the unemployed, farmers, fishermen, taxi drivers, public health workers, doctors, journalists, and merchants — primarily direct their demands to central authorities. The government presidency alone accounts for nearly 60% of these demands, followed by the ministries and their various central and regional administrations. Next come the regional authorities, including governors, mayors, and delegates, and in third place are the courts, magistrates, security forces, the National Water Exploitation and Distribution Company, the Gafsa Phosphate Company, transport companies, and hospitals. 

Based on the observed sample, five cases of suicide and attempted suicide were recorded in January, including one involving a minor under 18; the other cases concerned men, including a security officer who took his own life with his service weapon. A young man from the La Kalaa Al Khassba area in the Kef governorate died by hanging, while a schoolgirl ingested rat poison, resulting in her death despite efforts to save her. Another young man was found hanging in a public square in Kairouan, and an unemployed graduate ended his life at his family home in Douz. These cases were recorded across the governorates of Kairouan, Kef, Monastir, Bizerte, and Kebili, with one case reported in each. 

The Tunisian Social Observatory reiterates the importance of giving serious and urgent attention to self-destructive behavior, calling on the relevant official bodies to address it without delay. 

Suicide today represents one of the most pressing social and psychological challenges. Its consequences extend beyond the individual, affecting families and society as a whole. The normalization of this phenomenon can lead to an increase in psychological disorders and a general deterioration of mental health. Self-directed violence risks becoming normalized, causing a silent hemorrhage in society as it gradually loses a young and productive workforce. 

The acts of violence recorded during January 2026 broadly share the same characteristics as those observed in previous months, affecting all social groups. Different forms of violence are often intertwined, with a single incident sometimes involving multiple types of aggression. They are also influenced by a variety of factors, including poverty, social marginalization, and conflicts. 

In detail, acts of violence continue to reflect motives of revenge, retaliation, humiliation, devaluation of others, and sexual assault. Some incidents, particularly brutal and cruel, sometimes take on a theatrical or spectacular dimension. In many cases, violent acts originate from situations involving theft or conflict. 

According to the incidents documented by the Tunisian Social Observatory team, physical violence — involving the use of force to cause injury, such as hitting, slapping, burning, strangling, or using sharp objects — accounted for 33% of observed cases. Institutional violence — occurring in the workplace or within institutions and including harassment or abusive treatment — accounted for 16.7%. Economic violence — manifested through the deprivation of financial autonomy, control over income, or preventing someone from working — represented 14.3%. Gender-based violence, targeting individuals because of their sex and primarily affecting women and children, accounted for 9.5%. 

Cultural violence — linked to practices imposed by social norms, such as child marriage or gender-based discrimination — accounted for approximately 7.1%, the same percentage as psychological and emotional violence, which aims to break the victim’s will through threats, insults, humiliation, denigration, indifference, or social isolation. 

Organized and structural violence, or state violence — carried out by the state or organized groups to achieve political objectives — represented 4.8% of observed cases. This percentage is equivalent to that of sexual violence, which includes any forced sexual act, harassment, or sexual exploitation, including marital rape. Digital or electronic violence — encompassing online blackmail, threats, intimidation, data theft, or the dissemination of private images — accounted for 2.4% of cases. 

Violence is not limited to public and private spaces (such as homes), as the educational environment has also been a setting for acts of varying severity during January. For instance, a school in the Ezzouhour district was stormed by a drug dealer armed with a saber, who shouted obscene remarks and assaulted the school principal. Several male and female students in a school in Tunis reported being victims of sexual assault by a teacher. In Kairouan, two individuals entered a school and threatened students. In Ben Guerdane, a motorcyclist entered a school courtyard during an event and knocked down the principal. Schools also reported assaults committed by parents against educational and para-educational staff. 

Violence affected a variety of spaces, including hospitals, administrative offices, production facilities, transportation, and residences. In public transport, an incident over a seat resulted in the death of an elderly man. Public spaces also witnessed multiple acts of violence, thefts, and robberies, sometimes fatal. 

Men accounted for 52.38% of victims and 97.62% of perpetrators of violent acts, while women represented 19% of victims and only 2.38% of perpetrators. In 28.57% of cases, violent acts involved both men and women.