A US congressman has warned that Tunisia's President Kais Saied could face the same fate as Syria's Bashar al-Assad amid rising tensions with the country's largest union.
Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, criticised Tunisia's President for alleged corruption, economic mismanagement, suppression of freedoms, and turning Tunisia into "the laughingstock of the Middle East." [sic, considering Tunisia is situated in North Africa.]
"War Criminal Putin and Iran won't save you [Kais Saied] from your people—don't forget what happened to Assad!" he added in a post on X."
While being a notorious supporter of Israel, Wilson also was heavily involved in shaping US policy towards Syria.
In 2023, Wilson introduced H.R. 3202, "the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023", which extended the Caesar sanctions until 2032 and prevent the United States from recognising or dealing with Ba'athist Syria. Following the fall of the Assad regime, Wilson paid a visit to the country and then called for the lifting of sanctions related to the economy, investment, and reconstruction.
Wilson's statement drew swift condemnation from several political actors in Tunisia, including those critical of Saied.
Several Tunisian MPs described his remarks as "blatant interference" and accused him of promoting a colonial mindset.
In a joint statement, they stressed that Tunisia's rights and democratic issues are a domestic matter and urged all political forces to defend national sovereignty.
Political parties, including the Popular Current and Tunisia Forward, denounced Wilson's remarks as part of a deliberate campaign to destabilise the country, reaffirming Tunisia's independence and decision-making sovereignty.
Wilson later doubled down in another post, urging the Tunisian state to stop benefiting from US security funding, which totalled around $45 million in 2024.
The congressman, who has long voiced his opposition to Saied, threatened in July to push for cuts in funding for Tunisia in upcoming congressional legislation.
His initial post was in response to widespread protests by the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), the country's largest and most powerful union, which has been locked in an intensifying clash with President Saied.
While the UGTT has criticised Saied's monopolisation of power and exclusion of political dialogue since his 2021 power grab, the two have sometimes aligned in opposing economic policies they see as harmful to Tunisian society.
Now, the President is accusing the UGTT of corruption, with his supporters attempting to storm union offices across the country.
The 700,000-member union, which helped dismantle the Ben Ali regime in 2011, says, "the situation is on the verge of explosion."
Observers expect either a nationwide wave of protests or the dismantling of the union leadership and trials.
Despite their conflict with Saied, the UGTT said it "categorically rejects having its name used as a tool for interference in Tunisia's internal affairs."
"Tunisians possess a strong sense of patriotism and awareness and will not be used as instruments by forces of new colonialism to redivide the world, subjugate peoples, plunder their resources, or install compliant regimes," added the Tunisian union in a statement published Wednesday.