Tunisia bids farewell to president Essebsi at state funeral

Tunisia bid farewell to its first democratically elected president Beji Caid Essebsi on Saturday at a state funeral attended by foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

Essebsi, who helped guide the North African country’s transition to democracy after the 2011 revolution, died aged 92 on Thursday.

The state funeral started at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT). Those attending include Algerian President Abdelkader Ben Saleh, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, along with thousands of Tunisians.

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd attended the funeral on behalf of King Salman.

Many roads have been closed and security forces deployed in most areas of the capital and near the Al Jallaz cemetery.

Thousands filled the capital’s Habib Bourguiba Avenue, a focal point of the 2011 revolution that sparked uprisings across the Arab world, known as the Arab Spring.

"It is a sad day for Tunisia," said a woman named Nabila. "We lost a great statesman who had a big role after 2011 revolution and helped unite Tunisians and ease historical differences with the Islamists."