Tunisia has seen rising anger over hikes in value-added tax and social contributions after a tough new budget was applied at the start of the year. Interior ministry spokesman Khalifa Chibani told local radio that 49 police officers were wounded during clashes across the country and that 206 "troublemakers" were arrested overnight.
Properties were damaged, he said, including a branch of the Carrefour supermarket chain in the suburbs of Tunis that was looted. A witness said youths threw stones at shop windows on Tuesday evening, taking advantage of the chaos to steal goods including electrical appliances. The police intervened, firing tear gas.
The army has been deployed around banks, post offices and other government buildings in the country's main cities, the defence ministry said. In Tebourba 30 kilometres (20 miles) west of the capital Tunis, hundreds of young people took to the streets on Tuesday after the funeral of a man in his 40s who died in the unrest.