Tunisia president says detainees were behind shortages, price rises

FILE PHOTO: Tunisia's President Kais Saied gives a statement on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination, during a European Union - African Union summit, in Brussels, Belgium February 18, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's president on Tuesday accused some people detained in a wave of recent arrests of being responsible for price increases and food shortages, accusing them of seeking to fuel a social crisis.

Speaking in a meeting with the trade minister in a video published online, President Kais Saied vowed to move forward with strength and determination to "clean the country" in the first official comments on the arrests.