Tunisia: State of emergency extended by one month
Tunisian news outlets announced on December 30 that the North African country would be extending the state of emergency by one month (until January 30).
A country increasingly going down an autocratic path once more, Tunisia has been under a state of emergency since November 2015 when a dozen presidential guards were murdered in a suicide bombing carried out by IS. Beji Caid Essebsi, who died in 2019 whilst in office, was the President at the time.
READ: Tunisia’s Economic Crisis Amid Political Turmoil
Shortly after the deposing of veteran dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali back in 2011, Islamist extremism in the country was rife and the authorities did everything in their power to crack down on gatherings that had the potential to stoke tensions.
Many have argued however that these measures are authoritarian and are still happening to this day. Saied has built his presidential career, and will be seeking reelection this year, on the targeting of political opponents, journalists as well as trade unionists.
States of emergency have seen constant extensions since their introduction almost a decade ago. In December 2022, the Tunisian head decided to extend it by one month, yet very little progress has been made 12 months on.
Hannibal TV/ Reuters
