Year: 2017

UAHT’s motto better days are ahead for needy people

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Since the 2011 revolution, civil society associations in Tunisia are believed to have the capacity to build a social capital and social trust. But there is a tremendous gap between legislation and practice. However, Tunisian activists are faced with significant legitimate demands of a marginalised and daunted population, especially in the regions of the western part of the country. Suffering from alienation and exclusion, they still claim their economic, social and political rights. The Union of Tunisian Humanitarian Associations (UAHT) is a young association which endeavoured to lend a hand to this…

Tourists trickle back to Tunisia after 2015 militant attacks

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Dozens of tourists pack beach chairs at a Tunisian luxury hotel, where everything from the swimming pool to the wall paint, the furniture at the shiny reception hall, the police post at its gate and even its name is new. Nothing reminds holiday-makers of the day in June 2015 when an Islamic State militant shot dead 39 foreigners in this beach resort, triggering an exodus of tourists from the country and severely damaging its economy. Now some of those tourist are coming back, thanks to a massive security presence and…

Terror risks make tight security routine for world’s hotels

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In many parts of the world, the constant fear of extremist attacks has led to tighter security measures at hotels and resorts, but that is less so in the United States, where hotels are reluctant to intrude on the privacy of guests. Security experts say the shooting attack that left at least 59 people dead in Las Vegas could lead to more cameras and more training for hotel staff. More aggressive measures such as metal detectors or X-ray screening of guests and luggage — standard for airline travel — are…

Swiss justice minister renews Tunisian cooperation deal

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Concluding a two-day visit to Tunisia, Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga officially extended on Tuesday a cooperation agreement with the North African state and saluted progress made on migration. The cooperation strategy, launched in 2012 following the Arab spring upheavals, will run until 2020 and includes Swiss support to the tune of over CHF100 million ($103 million), a similar figure to that which has been spent to now. The strategy is implemented by several political agencies in Switzerland, including the foreign ministry, State Secretariat for Migration, and State Secretariat for…

Why Thomas Cook is moving into hotel ownership

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Thomas Cook has announced plans to follow fellow tour operator TUI Group into hotel ownership, creating a joint hotel investment platform with Swiss investment group LMEY.  The pair agreed to contribute at least five hotels with a value of £150 million, with Thomas Cook’s CEO describing developing own-brand sites as “absolutely key to our success.” The seed assets will be used to develop the platform into a fund focused on acquiring a pipeline of further hotel and resort assets across Thomas Cook’s destination markets. As part of the agreement with LMEY, Thomas Cook has acquired…

Canadian Army to send counter-terrorism experts to Tunisia

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The Canadian Army is considering sending five soldiers to Tunisia to provide counter-terrorism training for the North African nation’s army, Ottawa Citizen News portal reports. The move according to the spokesperson of the Department of National Defence, Daniel Le Bouthillier, is part of Canada’s Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program. In Bouthillier’s words, Canadian Armed Forces personnel are looking at deploying troops abroad to train other nations’ security forces to augment their ability to maintain security within their borders. If confirmed, the training would comprise of courses covering Counter Improvised Explosive Devices,…

S’African Business Delegation in Tunisia for Trade & Investment Mission

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The South African business delegation comprising of 22 companies from different sectors has arrived in Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, to participate in the trade and investment mission. The mission is intended to strengthen the already existing cordial relations between South Africa and Tunisia. Briefing the delegation before the business forum, the South African Ambassador in Tunisia, Mr Harold Hoyana said Tunisia presented a lot of opportunities and South African businesses wanting to do business in that country needed to have a long-term strategy and patience. Hoyana adds that…

Tophet at Carthage: An ancient burial ground believed to be used for ritual sacrifice.

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Tophets are at the center of one of the most contentious archaeological debates surrounding the region of northern Africa that was once part of the ancient Carthaginian Empire. The enigmatic ancient cemeteries are believed to have been used for the ritual sacrifice of children and animals. The burial site at Carthage in Tunisia, as well as others in the region, was discovered in the 20th century. It, along with the others, contained funerary urns stuffed with the cremated ashes and bone fragments of young children. Over 20,000 urns buried under…

In Tunisia’s War on Corruption, Local Government is on the Front Line

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Brian Braun Brian Braun is a Program Manager in the Middle East and North Africa Division at the International Republican Institute. Eguiar Lizundia Eguiar Lizundia is a Senior Governance Specialist at the Center for Global Impact at the International Republican Institute. Seven years after the Jasmine Revolution toppled the graft-ridden dictatorship of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, corruption remains one of the top concerns of average Tunisians. With the launch of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed’s “war on corruption” in May 2017, many Tunisians hope that they may finally see a turning…

32 years since Israel bombed Hammam Chott

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On 1 October 2017, Tunisia commemorates the 32nd memorial of the bombing of Hammam Chott, a suburb of Tunis, the capital city, by the Israel’s air force in 1985. The strike killed 68 people and the injured  100 Palestinians and Tunisians. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 1985, a squadron of Israeli air force combat aircrafts (estimated between six and eight aircrafts) launched a raid on Hammam Chott suburb. There were several offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the office of President Yasser Arafat, his own house, the…