Tunisia Ministry of Interior: ‘Outlaw parties target country's stability’

The Tunisian Ministry of Interior on Thursday accused unnamed parties of extrajudicially working to spreading malicious rumours and fallacies that target the country’s stability and security.

This came in a speech delivered by the head of the media office at the Minister of Interior, Faker Bouzghaia, during the ministry’s regular media meeting held in the capital, Tunis.

“The fallacies spread on social media are circulated by parties known to the ministry’s departments,” Bouzghaia asserted.

He added that the Ministry of Interior: “Works within the framework of the law without political interference or pressure.”

Since 25 July, 2021, Tunisia has been experiencing a severe political crisis when President Kais Saied imposed exceptional measures, including dismissing the government and appointing a new one, dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council and Parliament, issuing legislation by presidential decrees, adopting a new Constitution through a referendum held on 25 July, and setting an early date for the parliamentary elections.

Tunisian forces consider these measures a “coup against the 2014 Constitution and a consolidation of an absolute individual rule,” while other forces consider them as a “correction of the course of the 2011 revolution” that toppled former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1987-2011).

On the other hand, Bouzghaia confirmed: “The genetic imprints and tests proved that the terrorist killed in the Djebel Selloum operation in the Kasserine Governorate at the beginning of this month was Hafez Al-Rahimi, a prominent leader in the terrorist Jund Al-Khilafah organisation.”

On 2 September, the Ministry of Defence announced that it killed three militants affiliated with the Jund Al-Khilafah organisation after a field operation in Djebel Selloum in the Kasserine Governorate.

According to Bouzghaia: “The other two members were Ammar Al-Ghadbani, who blew himself up, and Saber Al-Tahri, the deputy emir of Jund Al-Khilafah.”

He added: “Attribution individuals were arrested, as well as confiscating weapons, grenades and suits belonging to the terrorists.”

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Since May 2011, Tunisia has witnessed several terrorist attacks that escalated in 2013, killing dozens of security and military personnel and foreign tourists.

The terrorist attacks were concentrated in the mountains, especially the western heights, known as: “A den in which terrorist groups are holed up.”

According to Tunisian authorities, Jund Al-Khilafah is linked to Daesh and is responsible for several terrorist attacks between 2019 and 2020 that targeted civilians and security services.