Tunisia protesters tear-gassed before Francophonie summit

Tunisian police have fired tear gas at protestors trying to reach the island of Djerba where an international summit is to be held this weekend.

The clashes happened in the town of Zarzis which is linked to Djerba by a long bridge.

There have been protests there for weeks over what’s seen as the Tunisian state’s slow response to the death of local people in migrant shipwrecks.

The biannual Francophonie summit brings together heads of state of mainly French-speaking countries.

Thirty-one leaders are expected to attend including those of Ivory Coast, Gabon, Rwanda, France and Canada.