Foreign policymakers, security experts as well as some famous foreign media report every time that a high number of Tunisians have joined the Islamic State groups.
It is worth reminding that figures surfacing from time to time are contradictory. We are convinced as Tunisians, that such high number of Tunisians joining the Islamic State is overblown which is very painful for us.
Though the Tunisian Security Authorities confirm on a regular basis the actual numbers of those Tunisians, according to the official security data available, some analysts insist on providing fake and suspicious figures which embarrass Tunisians nationwide and worldwide.
These reports showed that some countries are “markets of radicalisation” and exporters of terrorists who had joined terrorist organisations in conflict- riddled Syria, Iraq and Libya or anywhere else.
While our country made remarkable security achievements, we are convinced that the feeble economy helped feed extremism and we feel the pressure as a result of war in Libya, the neighbouring country which has a huge and direct security repercussions on Tunisia.
Tunisian officials estimate most of the time and more than others the seriousness of the current situation in Libya. In his latest statement, Tunisian Defence Minister Farhat Horchani said that despite frequent government operations to dismantle extremist cells, ” Libya doesn’t have a government that can control the situation, the threat still exists.”
The bad fate of Tunisians is that many factors helped the rising of the numbers of the terrorists but Tunisians are committed to face up the huge challenges in fighting terrorism.
However, what we ask is not inflating this delicate issue and not to distort Tunisians through groups of terrorists who some of them are radicalised within Europe in such a way as they do not honour us.
We urge Tunisia’s allies to be honest with Tunisians to support them amid ensuring security and stability and share with them some of the burden and not swap them by the return of the terrorists from the hotbeds of tension.
One more time, we praise the hard humanitarian decisions taken by Angela Merkel to open one day her country to tormented souls who left their homeland under duress and took her responsibility as great politician to protect escapees. We ask prominent European leaders not to be confused between migrants and terrorists.
Ben Rhouma Chedly
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