Tunisians bid farewell to late President Beji Caid Essebsi

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Thousands of people have gathered in the streets of Tunisia's capital, Tunis, to bid farewell to their first democratically elected president, Beji Caid Essebsi, at a state funeral that will be attended by foreign leaders.

Essebsi, who helped guide the North African country's transition to democracy after the 2011 revolution, died aged 92 on Thursday.

The state funeral was expected to start at 11am (10:00 GMT) on Saturday and be attended by international dignitaries, including Algeria's interim President Abdelkader Bensalah, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Many roads were closed and security forces deployed in most areas of the capital and near the Al Jallaz cemetery.

Following Essebsi's death, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed declared a seven-day mourning period and ordered flags at state institutions to be lowered to half-mast.