Desperate to return to work after weeks of protests brought Tunis to a standstill, shopkeepers armed with sticks and knives guarded the entrance to the covered market on Saturday and pushed back a small gang of protesters. Shopkeepers said they were satisfied with a government reshuffle announced on Thursday, which replaced 12 ministers linked to ousted president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali but retained Mohamed Ghannouchi as prime minister.
Armed with wooden sticks, knives and stones, shopkeepers fought back against a small group of hardcore protesters who tried to storm the capital's tree-lined Bourguiba Avenue, scene of dozens of protests during Tunisia's "Jasmine Revolution". "We want stability. We have a transitional government now... We are against chaos. These people want everything to change in a day," Ahmed Oueslati, who owns a nearby haberdashery shop. "We're nearly bankrupt. They stopped all our business," said Oueslati, who chased down protesters with a metal pole.
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