Funds Roll in as Tunisia Taps Investors for Economic Revival

Gulf Arab states, France and international institutions stepped in with billions of dollars in aid for Tunisia, as the birthplace of the Arab Spring tapped investors to revive a stalling economy yet to recover from major terrorist attacks.

Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani set the tone on the first day of a two-day investment conference in the capital, Tunis, pledging $1.25 billion. President Beji Caid Essebsi told the world leaders, international financial institutions and company chiefs assembled there that his North African nation faced an “exceptional situation and needed exceptional support.”