Anti-state protests persist in Tunisia

New protests have been kicked off by government opponents in Tunisia amid recent unrest that has led to the death of at least 66 demonstrators.

Reports say at least 5,000 outraged protesters held a peaceful rally in front of the Interior Ministry on Friday to condemn the killing of their countrymen, Associated Press reported.

Security forces are reportedly monitoring the situation in Tunis and troops have withdrawn after heavy deployments across the capital.

The country’s only legal trade union went on a symbolic two-hour strike in the capital on Friday.

This comes despite a televised speech by President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali on Friday saying that he will not seek another term in office to ease tensions in the country that were fueled by high unemployment rates and poor social security.

The president also said that he was ordering security forces to stop using live firearms against demonstrators.

In other remarks, apparently intended to calm the growing unrest in the country, he made pledges for political reform and media freedom. He had previously promised to create more job opportunities.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane has proposed the formation of a unity government as a feasible option for the North African country.

Some experts say the protests in Tunisia were sparked by unemployment and high prices. Other observers, however, insist that the underlying cause of the unrest is deep discontent with the country’s political system.

The government of Ben Ali sacked the interior minister on Wednesday and said he would investigate allegations of police use of excessive force.