Tunisian factories close, jobs go as political crisis drags on

By Tarek Amara BIZERTE, Tunisia (Reuters) - Tunisia's "Arab Spring" revolution, born out of economic despair, is failing to deliver the jobs and opportunities of a better life that its people long for, and had once expected. While Tunisia has largely avoided the bloodshed afflicting much of the region, a prolonged political crisis is hurting the economy badly and Mohammad Abd El Momen is one of the victims. We got the tragedy," said El Momen, who until July worked at a factory making safety boots for construction workers in Europe. Then his Italian employers - like many foreign investors - gave up and closed the plant in Bizerte, a coastal city 65 km (40 miles) north of Tunis.