The bloody attack in Tunis on 24 November, which killed a dozen presidential guards, prompted a series of new security measures from the government. The Tunisian government raised the security alert to the highest (third) level, including an 8-hour curfew and the closure of the common border with Libya for a fortnight. Rafik Chelli, secretary of state in charge of security, blamed the chaos in Libya for the attacks on Tunisian soil since the beginning of this year: in Bardo, Sousse, and now Tunis. The government has announced that it will recruit 3,000 new security personnel in 2016, and re-activate a special fund for counter-terrorism. Over 1,300 websites and blogs allegedly involved in terrorist propaganda were shut down last week. The new security measures also include facilitation for speeding up the legal processing of the around 1,200 court cases. Abdelkader Messahel, Algeria’s Maghreb and African affairs minister, met with Tunisian PM Habib Sid last week, while Ramtane Lamamra, Algerian foreign minister, warned against calls for intervention in North Africa. A British website, quoting a Tunisian source, said that Algiers reportedly warned Tunisia against Emirati interference in Tunisia.

Links for more information:
http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2015/11/25/le-conseil-de-securite-decide-un-train-de-mesure-contre-le-terrorisme/ 
http://www.marsad.ly/en/tunisia-closes-border-with-libya/ 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/27/us-tunisia-security 
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-threaten-destabilise-tunisia-not-acting-abu-dhabis-interests

Posted by Editor