Petrofac resumes operations in Tunisia after protester deal

(Reuters) British oil and gas industry services company Petrofac has resumed its operations in Tunisia after the government reached a deal with protesters who had disrupted gas production for nine months, the company said.

Petrofac, which supplies 13% of Tunisia's gas through the Chergui venture in the south, informed Tunisia last week it started to shut down its local operations because of protests. Tunisian officials reached a deal with protesters Friday, however.

Imed Darouich, the head of Petrofac Tunisia, told Reuters operations had resumed Monday, without giving more details about the level of current output.

Tunisia has been praised for its progress to democracy since the 2011 uprising ousted its long-standing leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, but economic progress has not followed, and many young Tunisians are frustrated about the lack of jobs.

Since January, protests by groups of young men have disrupted production at the site of the Chergui gas field on the island of Kerkennah in the south, where Petrofac holds a 45% share with the rest held by a state-run company.

Reporting by Tarek Amara

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