Country Report on Terrorism 2024 - Chapter 1 - Tunisia

Country Overview:  Tunisia continued to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement to prevent acts of terrorism against U.S. citizens or interests in the country; however, because of internal government dynamics, broader cooperation remained challenging and inefficient.  The risk of terrorism in Tunisia was exacerbated by sustained Libyan instability and regional events.  Tunisia demonstrated consistent readiness of its security forces and executed counterterrorism operations throughout the year.  Tunisia continued implementing a national strategy to prevent and counter terrorism, including recruitment, and to freeze terrorist assets, and improved its crisis response, coordination, and investigations.  Tunisia also approved a National Counterterrorism Strategy that focuses on strengthening Tunisian society’s resilience against terrorist recruitment and on reinforcing its ability to respond to domestic and foreign terrorist threats.

Tunisia continued to improve counterterrorism coordination between the Ministries of Interior and Defense and continued to cooperate with Embassy Tunis on investigations targeting U.S. interests.  Border security remained a top priority due to regional instability, leading Tunisian forces to successfully employ U.S.-funded assets, including a coastal surveillance system and patrol craft, in joint operations.  In 2024, Tunisia repatriated Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi, the country’s last remaining detainee held in Guantanamo Bay.  Tunisia’s ability to reintegrate nationals from foreign conflict zones remained constrained by limited rehabilitation programs, social services, and prison capacity.

On February 3, then-Minister of Defense Imed Memmiche participated in the second meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defense of the member states of the Islamic Military Counterterrorism Coalition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The MOD stated in a press release that Tunisia’s participation represented an opportunity to exchange views, examine the causes of terrorism, and monitor its repercussions.  In 2024, the National Commission for Counterterrorism monitored individuals, organizations, and entities with ties to terrorist organizations and froze the funds/assets of 151 individuals and entities.

2024 Terrorism Trends:  Tunisian security forces arrested 28 terror suspects during a series of operations.  On July 23, a 47-year-old shepherd was injured by an IED explosion on Mount Selloum, a designated military operation zone in Tunisia’s Kasserine Governorate (200 miles southwest of Tunis).  This incident was followed by another on August 7, when an IED detonated in Kasserine, killing one civilian and severely wounding another.

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