Tunisia: Heightened security expected May 12-15

Event

Heightened security is expected in Tunisia as the annual Jewish pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue in Djerba is set to take place from May 12 to May 15. Israeli authorities have advised their nationals to avoid all travel to Tunisia due to the terrorist threat.

Context

The threat from terrorism, including kidnapping, in Tunisia is considered high. Two high profile terrorist attacks targeted tourist sites in 2015: the Bardo National Museum attack in Tunis in March 2015, resulting in the deaths of 21 people, mostly Europeans, and a mass shooting at the Sousse coastal resort in June 2015, with 38 people killed. The Islamic State (IS) has claimed both attacks. A number of militant Islamist groups are present in the country, particularly in mountainous regions in the northwest, including Katibat Uqba bin Nafir (affiliated with Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb [AQIM]), Ansar Al-Sharia Tunisia (AST), and IS-affiliated Jund Al-Khilafah. These groups maintain a low-level insurgency, mostly targeting security forces within the western interior region, particularly the mountainous ranges of Kasserine, Kef, and Jendouba governorates.

A near-constant state of emergency has been in effect in Tunisia since June 2015, and was again extended by another three months on Thursday, February 16. According to estimates by the Ministry of the Interior, several thousand Tunisian nationals are currently fighting for IS and other armed groups in Iraq, Syria, and Libya, raising fears that they could return to Tunisia to perpetrate attacks.

Advice

Due to the terrorist threat, individuals in Tunisia are advised to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities, particularly when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Certain Western governments advise against travel to the south of the country, e.g. regions on the borders with Algeria and Libya, and the Kasserine region, due to the presence of armed groups.