Tunisian President Kais Saied has sacked the country’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Ibrahim Chaibi, following the deaths of 49 Tunisian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The decision came after widespread criticism against the government for the deaths, with many families still searching for missing relatives.
The President “decided to end the duties of Ibrahim Chaibi, the minister of religious affairs,” a statement by the Presidency who posted on Facebook said without giving any further details.
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The death toll from the Hajj pilgrimage has risen to 1,126, with the majority of the deaths being reported from Egypt. The deaths have been attributed to extreme heat in Saudi Arabia, with many pilgrims traveling outside the official government program.
Each year, official permits are allocated to countries through a quota system and distributed via a lottery, but many pilgrims opt for the irregular route due to the high costs involved. The Saudi government began issuing general tourist visas in 2019, making it easier for people to travel to the Gulf kingdom.
Deaths during the pilgrimage have also been reported by other countries, including Malaysia, India, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Sudan, and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
