The power cuts are back, and the union blames the ministry for withholding information
Steg resumed rolling blackouts on August 3, despite President Kaïs Saïed calling the situation abnormal on July 19 and prosecutors subsequently opening investigations into district chiefs at the utility. Elias Ben Ammar, of the UGTT's electricity and gas section, told African Manager it is the ministry of industry, mines and energy that refuses to inform citizens of the real energy position and opposes the company's wish to warn them of cuts. He denies reports of new generating equipment: the motor recently bought replaces a broken transformer at Mornaguia, and no power ship has been agreed. The Tunisian Organisation of Young Doctors puts the death toll since the cuts began at 150 to 200, a figure the authorities have neither confirmed nor commented on.