Domestic woes at the heart of Tunis attacks

Confronting the terror threat in North Africa requires European economic investment

Tunisians light candles at the entrance gate of the National Bardo Museum where scores of people were killed after gunmen staged an attack. Michel Euler / AP

Tunisia’s evolution from being the birthplace of the Arab Spring to a model of political compromise has been an inspiration for others to imitate. Its presidential election in November was declared free and fair, and the country’s largest moderate Islamist party has been included in a national coalition government led by secular prime minister Habib Essid. Unfortunately, the long arm of terror threatens to destabilise the country’s achievements.

Wednesday’s horrific attack on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, in which 23 people were killed, is a stark reminder that no one is immune to the menace of terrorism gripping other parts of this region. It remains unclear how security forces were unable to prevent the killings, which is a cause for concern given the country’s wide-ranging, long-running campaign against extremists and the museum’s proximity to the parliament complex. The attack’s ultimate target was Tunisia’s tourism industry, a sector that has yet to return to health since the Arab Spring.

The 2011 uprising was triggered by economic issues, in particular high unemployment among the country’s youth. That same lack of opportunity persists today and helps explain why an estimated 3,000 Tunisians have joined ISIL’s ranks in Syria and Iraq – more young people continue to slip out of the country every week.

The EU, and specifically countries like France that have natural ties to Tunisia, must do more to help stimulate growth and investment. With better economic prospects, the lure of terror would not be nearly the same for a generation starved of opportunity. In this, Tunisia has an example to follow from elsewhere in the region.

In the past week, Egypt has delivered a powerful statement on the merits of stability and the right political leadership. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi underlined the scale of Egypt’s transformation at an investment conference in Sharm El Sheikh and sold his country’s success story to the world. Tunisia already has the right political framework in place, now it has to lay out its own case for inward investment and, perhaps, host its own conference. Only by attracting outside help will it solve its problems within.