Category: Local

Tunisians’ Daily Lives Transformed by Lack of Security

Tunisians’ Daily Lives Transformed by Lack of Security

| 23 May 2013 | 4 Comments

Security concerns have fundamentally affected the day-to-day lives of Tunisians, from how they plan their evenings to how they will spend their summer vacations. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Interior are meeting today to discuss security measures to ensure the success of the tourist season this summer, but there is a widespread [...]

Continue Reading

Prime Minister Pledges to Fight Violent Extremists

Prime Minister Pledges to Fight Violent Extremists

| 23 May 2013 | 0 Comments

Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh said today that Ansar Sharia is illegal organization that should be combated through security and judicial intervention, and that the recent instances of violence will not postpone the completion of the new constitution and determination of a date for the next election. “Ansar al-Sharia is an illegal organization that employs violence and some [...]

Continue Reading

Mass Arrests Signal Policy Change Towards Religious Extremists

Mass Arrests Signal Policy Change Towards Religious Extremists

| 21 May 2013 | 5 Comments

The arrest of 274 people over the last three days for alleged involvement in clashes between supporters of the conservative religious group Ansar al-Sharia and state security forces, along with the government’s outlawing of the organization, demonstrate a new stricter government policy toward religious extremism in Tunisa. The arrests, which occurred throughout the country, were tied to Sunday’s [...]

Continue Reading

Government Deems Ansar al-Sharia Illegal Organization

Government Deems Ansar al-Sharia Illegal Organization

| 21 May 2013 | 7 Comments

The Interior Ministry has announced that it considers Ansar al-Sharia an illegal organization and will prohibit any of the Salafist group’s activities. The announcement comes after clashes between the group’s supporters and the police on Sunday that resulted in one death. “The Ansar al-Sharia group is an illegal organization that does not abide by the [...]

Continue Reading

Clashes Over Ansar al-Sharia Meeting Leave One Dead

Clashes Over Ansar al-Sharia Meeting Leave One Dead

| 20 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Clashes between supporters of a Salafist group and the police Sunday in the Ettadhamen suburb in Tunis resulted in the death of 27 year-old Moez Dahmani, according to state news agency TAP. The Tunisian Ministry of the Interior stated that 11 policemen and three protesters were injured during yesterday’s confrontations. The clashes started as security [...]

Continue Reading

Alleged Religious Extremists Arrested in Plots Against National Security

Alleged Religious Extremists Arrested in Plots Against National Security

| 20 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Security officers arrested Sunday a number of suspected militants from different areas in Tunisia for plotting to carry out criminal operations against Tunisia security forces, reported Tunisian state television station Al Wataniya. Anti-terrorism units arrested an alleged explosives expert in Kairouan. According to Al Wataniya, the man, a computer engineer, admitted to being affiliated with Ansar al-Sharia.  He allegedly [...]

Continue Reading

Four More Arrests in Operations Against Chambi Militants

Four More Arrests in Operations Against Chambi Militants

| 16 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Four more people with alleged connections to a group of militants taking refuge on Chambi Mountain were arrested yesterday by the Tunisian National Guard. The suspects were wearing paramilitary clothes similar to those worn by armed groups in the Libyan revolution, according to the Tunisian newspaper Assabah. They reportedly tried to remove these uniforms when [...]

Continue Reading

Algeria Sends Troops to Border in Fight Against Militants

Algeria Sends Troops to Border in Fight Against Militants

| 15 May 2013 | 1 Comment

In the ongoing fight against armed groups hiding on Chambi Mountain, Algeria has deployed 6,000 troops to prevent militants from crossing the border from Tunisia, radio Mosaique FM reported today. Meanwhile, National Guard officers arrested Monday an individual suspected of providing supplies to the militants, according to the Interior Ministry’s Facebook page. At least 37 suspects [...]

Continue Reading

Police Use Tear Gas to Disperse Salafist Preachers

Police Use Tear Gas to Disperse Salafist Preachers

| 09 May 2013 | 3 Comments

In a move that has aroused the anger of Salafist groups, police used tear gas last weekend to break up a religious gathering in the northwestern governorate of Jendouba. Lotfi Hidouri, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told Tunisia Live that police prohibited Salafists in Tabarka from publicly preaching because they had not asked for [...]

Continue Reading

Security Forces Foil Smuggling of Explosives from Libya

Security Forces Foil Smuggling of Explosives from Libya

| 09 May 2013 | 2 Comments

A Libyan national was arrested by security forces yesterday while trying to smuggle a large amount of explosives into the country near a southeastern border. Anti-terrorism units and National Guard forces stopped the smuggler in Al Ketif harbor in Ben Guerdane governorate, Interior Ministry spokesman Lotfi Hidouri told Tunisia Live. The website of newspaper Assabah reported today that [...]

Continue Reading