Foreign Office updates advice as Tunisia extends state of emergency
The Tunisian government has extended the state of emergency it imposed last month until February 2016 and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised extra vigilance over the festive period.
The FCO warns further attacks against foreigners – such as the one at Port El Kantaoui near Sousse on June 26 which killed 38 foreign tourists including 30 British nationals – remain ‘highly likely’. It adds that, although the authorities have stepped up security, "we do not believe the mitigation measures in place provide adequate protection for British tourists in Tunisia at the present time".
Tunisia imposed a state of emergency a month ago, after a suicide attack on a bus transporting Presidential Guards killed 13 people and injured several others in front of a hotel in central Tunis on November 24.
The previous week, the Tunisian authorities announced they had foiled a major plot to attack ‘hotels and vital installations’ in Sousse.
In a statement, the FCO said: "Security forces are on a high state of alert in Tunis and other locations. You should be especially vigilant over the holiday period, including around Mouled (24 December), Christmas and New Year. Avoid crowded places and follow the advice of the Tunisian security authorities and your travel company, if you have one."
It added: "Since the attack in Sousse, we have been working closely with the Tunisian authorities to investigate the attack and the wider threat from terrorist groups in Tunisia.
"Although we have had good co-operation from the Tunisian government, including putting in place additional security measures, the intelligence and threat picture has developed considerably, reinforcing our view that a further terrorist attack is highly likely. On balance, we do not believe the mitigation measures in place provide adequate protection for British tourists in Tunisia at the present time.
"On 8 July, the Tunisian Prime Minister stated publicly that further attacks were likely.
"The Tunisian authorities have increased their security measures but have also acknowledged the limitations in their ability to counter the current terrorist threat," the Foreign Office concluded.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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