Hajj: Tunisian President fires Minister over death of 49 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia

Tunisian President Kais Saied has fired his minister of religious affairs, following the deaths of 49 Tunisians during this year’s hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

The death toll has increased to 1126, with more than half of them from Egypt, according to an AFP count on Friday that includes official statements and testimonies from diplomats participating in the reaction.

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.

On Tuesday, the Tunisian foreign ministry reported the death of 35 Tunisian pilgrims, but the number has risen to 49 so far, according to Tunisian media.

The ministry didn’t specify whether the deaths were related to high temperatures, adding that most of the dead had travelled to Saudi Arabia with tourist visas and outside of the Saudi government’s official pilgrimage programme.

Each year, official permits are allocated to countries through a quota system and distributed to individuals via a lottery.

Even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs can make the irregular route – which costs thousands of dollars less – more attractive.

That has been especially true since 2019 when Saudi Arabia began issuing general tourist visas, making it easier to travel to the Gulf kingdom.

Deaths during the pilgrimage have also been confirmed by Malaysia, India, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, Sudan and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.