Tunisia's head of government sacked on Saturday the controversial governor at the root of the protests of inhabitants of Siliana, in a bid to quell the violence there, Shems FM reported.

Earlier on Saturday, a government communique said that it had entrusted the governor's second with running the town's affairs pending a forthcoming decision soon to be announced, TAP reported.

Last week, the country's prime minister Hamadi Jebali refused to sack the governor arguing it would undermine the credibility of the state.

However 5 days of protests which left hundreds of people injured have further weakened the resolve of the Ennahdha-led government.

On Friday, the country's president Moncef Marzouki called for a cabinet reshuffle to help solve the country's economic woes. The government has failed to fulfill peoples' expectations, he said in a statement on state TV. He also said that the country's next general elections should be held before the summer.

Meanwhile fresh clashes between police and young protesters have erupted in Siliana and in the neighboring town of Bargou on Saturday evening, TAP reported.

Police used tear gas to chase protesters into their homes. Twenty people were reported to have been injured in the latest wave of violence.