Three people were killed and 90 wounded after rival clans clashed over access to jobs in the central Tunisian mining town of Metlaoui, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday. Clan members used home-made bombs, guns and iron bars against each other after a rumour spread in the town that only certain tribes would be offered jobs at the nearby Gafsa phosphate complex. Shops were looted and set on fire.
The violence, which erupted late on Friday night, prompted Tunisian authorities to impose a curfew on the mining region of Gafsa, about 350 kilometres (217 miles) south-west of Tunis, the Interior Ministry said. The North African country has been struggling to restore stability since mass protests ousted president Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali on January 14 after 23 years in power. Similar violence in Metlaoui in March left two people dead.
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