French President Francois Hollande : pledges help to Tunis

France will provide 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) over 5 years to help Tunisia deal with its transition to democracy, President Francois Hollande said on Friday, as Tunis struggles with the worst unrest since an uprising five years ago.

Tunisia declared a nationwide curfew on Friday after four days of protests and rioting over jobs and economic conditions, which have worsened since autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled in 2011.

“One of the main objectives of the plan is to help disadvantaged regions and youth, by acting strongly on jobs,” the French president said in a statement after a meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid.