Tunisians struggle to buy sheep for Eid as economic crisis bites

FILE PHOTO: A Tunisian sheep breeder waits for customers at a livestock market in Borj El Amri, ahead of the Eid al-Adha, Tunisia June 17, 2023. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File Photo

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisians hoping to buy a sheep to slaughter for Islam's Eid al-Adha festival next week are facing much higher prices because of a drought, adding to public anxiety at an economic crisis that looks set to worsen.

Small flocks of sheep are a common sight in Tunisian cities and towns in the run-up to the annual festival, feeding on highway verges and in empty lots as farmers bring in their animals from the countryside for sale.