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July 19, 2011

14-Year-Old Boy Killed in Violent Tunisia Protest 
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Authorities in Tunisia report a 14-year-old boy was killed by a stray
bullet fired during a violent protest in the town where the Arab Spring
movement first began. Protesters in Sidi Bouzid flung molotv cocktails
at security officers who responded by firing warning shots late Sunday
night and into Monday morning. The clashes come as Tunisia prepares for
significant October 23 elections to create a body to draw up a new
constitution. Residents in Sidi Bouzid have expressed frustration that
the protests which began in December over rising food prices and
unemployment have done little to change everyday life in Tunisia,
despite triggering uprisings throughout the Middle East and North
Africa. Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi denounced the recent unrest in
Tunisia as a rouse orchestrated by extremists to derail the October
elections and insisted the proceedings would go on.



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