A female suicide bomber detonated in central Tunis on Monday, wounding nine people in an attack that has sent shock waves through the country.
Tunisia had hoped it had turned the corner on terrorism after a spate of ISIS attacks in 2015, but the bombing is a reminder that terror cells continue to operate in the country.
The interior ministry said the bomber had no known militant background, while local media said the woman, named "Mouna", had a university degree in English and was from the coastal governorate of Mahdia.
An interior ministry spokesman said eight of the nine wounded were police officers, and that the bomber was the only fatality.
Local media reports say the bomber used a hand-made grenade device rather than a suicide vest, one reason why casualties may have been limited.
The woman, dressed in black, walked up to police units in the central Habib Bourguiba Avenue and detonated her explosives just before 2pm. The boulevard, the most popular in the capital, is lined with shops and cafes. It was unusually crowded on Monday with demonstrators protesting over the death in police custody of a Tunis man earlier this month.
Habib Bourguiba, named after the founder of modern Tunisia, is a popular place for demonstrations, and the focus of the protesters was on the heavily fortified Interior Ministry that sits at the eastern end of the avenue. The woman blew herself up close to the building.
Police formed a cordon around the body of a young woman dressed in black, lying on her back with extensive wounds to her midriff, and reinforced their positions on the avenue, fencing off side roads leading to Bourgiba.
The blast caused panic among the thousands of protesters and bystanders, who streamed out of the broad avenue which is also home to the heavily guarded French embassy.
“I don’t know what is happening to our country,” said Aziza, watching from a nearby balcony.
A local businessman watching from behind hastily erected police barriers who would not give his name complained: “This is the state of our country. Yes, yes, we have all this democracy, but we also have this.”
The bombing is the first to strike the capital since 12 policemen on a bus were killed by a suicide bomber in a nearby street in November 2015. That attack was one of three that year, and followed the killing of 21 people at the capital’s Bardo museum in March and 38 tourists at a resort hotel in the town of Sousse, both by ISIS units.
Since 2015 military support from the United States and other nations has seen Tunisia ramp up operations against militant groups with mass arrests and ambushes of terrorists in the hinterland. Fighting against militants since then has been restricted to areas around Tunisia’s borders with Algeria and Libya.
Tunisia has completed a 200-kilometre barrier of fencing, sand berms and water trenches along its border with Libya to stem infiltration by militant groups. With improved security, western tourists have begun to return after abandoning resorts in 2015, in what was a blow to an industry that employs 400,000 people.
Politically, Tunisia presents itself as a North African success story, having stuck to the democracy installed after the 2011 ousting of former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Its progress in transitioning to a parliamentary democracy was underlined last week with the visit of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. He met with Tunisian president Beni Said Essebsi, praising the country’s progress and signing a series of EU financial projects to support democracy and civil society.
Yet the country is also home to ISIS sympathisers. The interior ministry says more than 3,000 Tunisians travelled to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS, with the government promising to arrest any who return. In July 2016 Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian resident of France, killed 86 and wounded 458 by driving a cargo truck into them on a promenade in Nice, France.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for Monday’s bombing, and nor is it known if it was linked to the protests. Those protests followed the death of a 19-year-old during a police operation in Tunis on October 23. A day later police used tear gas to disperse crowds angry about his death in the Tunis suburb of Sidi Hassine.
The use of an improvised grenade by the woman may indicate the local terrorist cells lack the expertise or resources of ISIS bombers in other countries who deploy explosive-laden vests.
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
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Transmission: Six-speed automatic
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Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
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At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
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Four stars
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
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SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
More Iraq election coverage:
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
