Tunisian president declares state of emergency
The Tunisian government has declared a state of emergency just over a week after a deadly terrorist attack near the country’s coastal city of Sousse claimed the lives of dozens of people, mostly foreign tourists.
According to the presidential office, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared the state of emergency across the North African country on Saturday evening. The president is due to address the nation later in the day.
Sources say the measure will temporarily grant special powers to the police and army to contain violence and terrorism.
However, critics have voiced concern, saying the declaration also restricts the right of public assembly.
At least 38 people, mostly foreign nationals, were killed and tens of others injured in an attack by a gunman on a tourist resort near Sousse on June 26.
The fatal assault was claimed by the ISIL terrorist group, which is mainly operating in Iraq and Syria.
Prime Minister Habib Essid, in an interview on Friday, acknowledged that security forces had taken too long to respond to the attack at the beach resort of Port El Kantaoui near Sousse. “The time of the reaction… this is the problem,” he said.
Tunisia has already beefed up security in the wake of the attack, deploying armed officers around tourist sites, beaches and hotels.
The latest deadly shooting rampage followed a March attack claimed by the ISIL militant group on Tunis’ Bardo National Museum, which killed over 20 foreign tourists and a policeman.
Terrorist attacks have seriously damaged Tunisia’s economy, which is heavily dependent on the tourism industry. Hundreds of foreign tourists have left Tunisia following the latest deadly assault.
An earlier state of emergency in Tunisia was lifted in March 2014; it had been in force since former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in a 2011 public uprising.
JR/HJL/HMV
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