Ahmed Tlili

Ahmed Tlili was a native of Gafsa and a central pillar of both the Neo-Destour and the labor movement. During the armed liberation struggle (1952–1954), he organized and commanded the Fellaga resistance networks operating across the southern mining basin and central steppes.

Following the assassination of Farhat Hached, Tlili took the helm of the UGTT, leading it to international prominence. In the 1960s, he courageously challenged the emergent one-party state, drafting a famous open letter demanding democratic pluralism and freedom of the press.