Insights

State of emergency extended until 16 June

The Tunisian Government has announced that the state of emergency currently active in the country, will be extended until 16 June 2017. The security measures will continue to give police extra powers of search and arrest, for another three months. The state of emergency has been in place since a jihadist attack in 2015 in Tunis, which killed 12 presidential guards on a bus. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed the attack, as well as bombings earlier in 2015 at the Bardo National Museum and a shooting at a beach resort that killed 59 foreign tourists and a Tunisian guard. The government has repeatedly renewed the state of emergency despite its assurances that security has improved in the North African state.

The continuation of a national state of emergency in Tunisia is representative of the growing threat of terrorism that the country faces. Those operating or residing in Tunisia are reminded to be aware of the indiscriminate nature of terrorism and for the possibility of both lone wolf and planned coordinated terror attacks to take place, particularly over the election period. Report any suspicious packages, behaviour or activity to the authorities and remain vigilant.