Tunisian President, Kais Saied has dismissed Brahim Chaibi, the minister of religious affairs, after widespread criticism trailed the deaths of dozens of Tunisians taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage. The presidency had made this announcement on Friday.
About 49 Tunisians have reportedly died because of the extreme heat in Saudi Arabia this past week and Tunisian families are still on the look out for their missing loved ones.
Ex-minister, Chaibi had come under criticism by Tunisian social media activists who criticised him for posting his photos while performing the Hajj at a time when the deaths of Tunisian pilgrims were being reported.
The Tunisian foreign ministry had not specified, at the time of filing this report, whether the deaths were due to high temperatures. The ministry had also revealed that most of the dead had travelled to Saudi Arabia with tourist visas which was outside of the Saudi government’s official pilgrimage program.
Deaths during the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage have also been confirmed in the following countries; Malaysia, India, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, Sudan and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
