Jihadists threaten national security in Tunisia
National security is under threat, due to fears of jihadists in Tunisia, months after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the liberation of prisons and detention centres that formerly held them, according to Worldcrunch on the 27th January.
According to the alternative news website, it is feared that the recent political crisis in Syria, following regime change will lead to Islamist insurgency, and an influx of jihadists in Tunisia. The site claims that such a trend does not bode well for Tunisia, which is currently going through economic and financial crisis.
Since 2011, Tunisians have been at the top of the list of countries supplying foreign jihadists who joined ISIS in Syria, Libya and Iraq.
Tunisian extremism has murky links with Syria. The first example of this was between 2011 and 2013, after the Islamist Ennahda party – which is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood- won the largest share in the Tunisian parliament. Ennahda allowed extremist groups to be active and organise openly in public spaces. It also called on fighters to travel to Syria under the pretext of “supporting the efforts of the Syrians to overthrow the Assad regime.”
Then, between 2013 and 2014, Tunisians traveling to Syria increased in number. Mohamed Frikha, the owner of a private airline company was found to have links to the Ennahda party and investigated to have played a role in exporting extremism to Syria via Turkey.
Libya also reportedly acted as a base for jihadists from Tunisia, with groups exploiting the chaotic political environment to establish training camps and set up bases.
While there are no accurate statistics on the number of Tunisian jihadists in Syria, a 2015 United Nations report estimated more than 5,000 Tunisian fighters in Syria, Iraq and Libya. And the latest Tunisian figures put the number of Tunisian fighters affiliated with armed jihadist groups in Syria, Libya and Iraq at 2,926 militants.
After the US-led international coalitions launched a military campaign against ISIS and other groups in Syria and Iraq, many fighters were killed. Others were arrested by the Assad regime and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
There was widespread opposition to the repatriation of Tunisian extremists within Tunisia. 2016 saw demonstrations against this and Tunisian authorities evaded calls from the Syrian Democratic Forces to repatriate their fighters from the Al-Hawl and Al-Roj camps.
The National Observatory for the Defense of the Civil State, a local NGO, warned of the dangers threatening Tunisia as a result of the new situation in Syria. Mounir Charfi, director of the Observatory calls this a ‘major threat to national security in Tunisia’
Aliya al-Alani, an expert on Islamic groups said that the return of extremist fighters poses a serious threat not only to Tunisia, but to the Maghreb region in general. “Libya is likely to be the main gateway for the infiltration of fighters returning from Syria into Tunisia, given the fragile security situation in Libya,” al-Alani said.
Tunisian authorities have nevertheless begun acting to prepare for the possibility of repatriation of extremists. Tunisian Airlines has announced diversions on flights from Turkey, and implementing strict inspection procedures at customs.
However, issues are arising in regard to the process of detaining returning fighters. Authorities in Tunisia, which carries a prison sentence of 6-12 years for terrorists, fear the addition of extremists to already overcrowded prisons would cause them to become hotbeds for jihadist ideas.
Tunisia’s economy, though characterised by high debt levels and weak public finances, is projected to see improvements, particularly in its tourism and its transition towards green energy.
However, the situation in regard to jihadists in Tunisia at present is unclear. The country, which is often linked to unauthorised migration and human rights issues, is perceived to not have a clear strategy to reduce the risk of extremism.
Worldcrunch/Maghrebi
