The President of Tunisia, Beji Caid Essebsi, declared a state of emergency in the country today, eight days after an attack in which 38 tourists were killed on the beach of a hotel, reported Agence France-Presse.
Several Tunisian officials, including the governor of Sousse, were dismissed today after the recent attack that killed 38 tourists, sources close to the Tunisian government said.
"In addition to security failures, there were also failures on the political side," government representative Dafer Nezhi told France Press, adding that the governor of Sousse, where the attack took place on June 26, was dismissed.
Neži said that several police officials were dismissed, including three from Sus.
Essebsi said today that his country "is not safe from new extremist attacks", after earlier declaring a state of emergency in the country.
In his address to the nation, Esebsi said that the state of emergency will last for 30 days and that it was introduced to avoid the collapse of the state, AP reported.
The state of emergency in Tunisia gives additional powers to the army and police.
The state of emergency was lifted in March 2014, and was in force since January 2011 after the escape of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before the beginning of the street demonstrations that started the "Arab Spring".
Since the revolution, Tunisia has increasingly faced an increase in jihadist attacks, which have been responsible for the deaths of several dozen soldiers and policemen.
Sunni extremists from the Islamic State carried out two attacks in Tunisia in three months. A total of 59 tourists were killed in Tunisia - 21 people in the center of the capital at the Bardo Museum in March and 38 people on June 26 in the tourist resort of Sousse.
Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Esid said recently in an interview with the British television network BBC that the police were too slow in responding to the attacks, admitting for the first time that there were security failures.
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