Tunisian protesters have clashed with police for the fifth night in several cities, including the capital Tunis and Sidi Bouzid, cradle of the Arab Spring uprisings, as anger and frustration mount over economic hardship deepened by the pandemic.

Earlier on Tuesday, protesters rallied in Tunis, reviving the chant that rang out a decade ago in a revolution that ushered in democracy: "The people want the fall of the regime."

In Sidi Bouzid, where the 2011 revolution began, witnesses told Reuters news agency that police had fired tear gas to disperse protesters who were raising slogans against politicians and demanding an end to decades of marginalisation.

Clashes also broke out in poor areas of Tunis, including el-Tadamen and Sijoumi, as hundreds of angry youths burned tyres and blocked roads.