Tunisia Announces New National Unity Government

Tunisia's prime minister announced a new national unity government today, just hours after security forces used water cannons, tear gas and warning shots to disperse thousands of protesters in the capital.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, a longtime ally of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben, said that he would lead the government and that six members of the former regime -- including the foreign, interior and defense ministers -- would keep their jobs. The 19-member Cabinet will include three opposition leaders and 10 independents.

Veteran pro-democracy activist Mustapha Ben Jaafar, who has been appointed health minister in the administration, told CNN that opposition leaders would not simply act as cover for the ruling party but would play an active role in running the country.

"The most important thing for me is to build during this period the basis for a democratic Tunisia where all the citizens participate and where we can build a civic society," Jaafar said. "This is what I spent 40 years of my life working for."

It isn't clear how Tunisians will react to the reappointment of so many figures from the hated former regime. Earlier today, demonstrators marched down the main avenue in Tunis, calling for the abolition of Ben Ali's ruling party and the release of hundreds of political prisoners, Britain's Channel 4 News reported. As the 2,000-strong crowd neared the Interior Ministry -- a potent symbol of Ben Ali's regime -- riot police blasted them with water cannon and tear gas rounds, The Guardian reported. Police were also spotted beating unarmed protesters.

Ben Ali, who ruled the North African country for 23 years, fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday with his wife, Leila. According to French daily Le Monde, she packed $65 million worth of gold in her luggage. His ouster came after Tunisians protested against greed, corruption and brutality on the part of the government and ruling family.

Mass demonstrations first broke out in mid-December when a college-educated street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, burned himself to death. He was protesting the confiscation of his fruit and vegetable cart, saying he was unable to make a living. Bouazizi's suicide resonated with many ordinary Tunisians who also face dismal prospects -- the country's official unemployment rate sits at 14 percent, although it is far higher for educated youth.

Human rights groups estimate that up to 200 people are thought to have died during the month-long protest, most shot dead by police. Sihem Bensedrine, head of the National Council for Civil Liberties, told The Guardian that police had also raped an unknown number of women.

"These were random, a sort of reprisal against the people," she said. "In poor areas, women who had nothing to do with anything were raped in front of their families. Guns held back the men; the women were raped in front of them."

While many Tunisians are happy that Ben Ali has been forced from power, some of the ex-president's die-hard supporters appear unwilling to accept the new order. Over the weekend, gun battles broke out between troops and members of Ben Ali's police force. Snipers took to rooftops near the Interior Ministry and central bank Sunday and started shooting at soldiers on the ground. A helicopter gunship strafed their hideout with bullets, killing two men, Reuters reported.

In neighborhoods across Tunis, locals armed with metal bars, hammers and axes formed vigilante groups to protect themselves from armed gangs they feared were being led by ex-policemen.

"We forced the president to leave, but now we're here to protect our homes, our shops and our families from Ben Ali's thugs," a young man stationed at an impromptu checkpoint told The Christian Science Monitor. "He left, but his supporters are still here."

One vigilante mob assaulted a group of 13 Swedish hunters in Tunis on Sunday, after mistaking the men for foreign mercenaries.

"We arrived about 10 days ago in Tunisia to hunt boars," one of the hunters, Ove Oberg, told Agence France-Presse. His group was heading to the airport when their taxis were stopped at a checkpoint. "They searched the vehicles," he explained. "They found our rifles, and everything degenerated. They dragged us out of the cars, treated us like foreign terrorists. We were kicked and beaten."

Inger Eckhardt, a spokesman for the Swedish company that had arranged the hunting trip, said the men were now being looked after by police.

"No one is injured to the extent that they need to go to the hospital. They are a little bruised," she said. "They are all sitting down at the police station under police protection. The police have promised them an escort and a hotel."