The Tunisian president has imposed a state of emergency and fired the country's government amid violent clashes between protesters and security forces, state media has reported.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has also promised fresh legislative elections within six months in an attempt to quell the mass dissent over unemployment and high prices, sweeping the North African nation.
State media also reported that gathering of more than three people have been banned and arms will be used" if orders of security forces are not heeded.
The latest development on Friday came as police fired tear gas at protesters outside the interior ministry in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
"We heard shots, I believe they were shooting in the air but for sure they were shooting [tear] gas bombs, and they are trying to disperse and spread people," Youssef Gaigi, an activist at the scene, told Al Jazeera.
"There were some clashes, police on their bikes and cars hitting people. Things quickly changed. Before, this morning things were totally peaceful, we had people from all social classes, we had people from everywhere come here to Tunis and now they just decided to use violence."
The protesters are seeking the immediate resignation of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the president, and are refusing to disperse until he steps down.
In a sign of a deepening political stand-off in the North African nation, increasingly being referred to on social media platforms as the "Jasmine Revolution", thousands of protesters converged in front of the interior ministry building on Friday, chanting slogans such as "Ben Ali, leave!" and "Ben Ali, thank you but that's enough!".
The fresh protests came a day after Ben Ali offered sweeping concessions in an attempt to end the wave of dissent sweeping the country.
In a televised address on Thursday night, Ben Ali, who has been in power since 1987, vowed not to seek re-election in 2014. He also promised to institute widespread reforms, introduce more freedoms into society, and to investigate the killings of protesters during demonstrations that have spread throughout the country over the past month.
