Frequent mine explosions in mountainous areas provoked reactions. Even if they differed in shape, place and time, the content is the same: threatening the lives of innocent civilians looking for a livelihood in these dangerous border areas.  

This controversy comes after some civil society activists and politicians in Kasserine denounced what they considered the absence of a clear strategy to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, after the martyrdom of two children on Thursday, March 11, 2021.

Areas Outside the State Control

The Secretary-General of the Popular Movement, Zuhair Hamdi, denounced in a statement to “JDD” the absence of a clear and decisive strategy by the state to address terrorism by cleaning, combing and clearing mountainous areas of this scourge, he said.

Hamdi considered that the death of two children following the explosion of a landmine in the Jebel Salloum area in the prefecture of Kasserine is part of a terrorist operation, which confirms that this scourge is still endemic in Tunisia to this day and that some mountainous areas such as Jebel Salloum and Jebel Samama have become outside the control of the state, pointing to The existence of ambiguity about this file, which led to the recurrence of such operations, according to him.

Urgent and Decisive Action Must be Taken

The Secretary-General of the Popular Movement called on state officials to take urgent, decisive and serious measures and adopt clear visions, to eradicate this scourge and ensure that such incidents which threaten the lives of citizens and pose a threat to their security and stability will not be repeated, as he put it.

The Solution is not to Approach these Areas

For his part, the Commissioner of Southern Kasserine, Munji al-Askari, called in an exclusive statement to “JDD” citizens to adhere to the strategy of the security and military forces and not to take risks and to approach dangerous areas, whatever the reason, calling for special attention to be given to the areas adjacent to the mountains as part of development programs to improve their economic and social conditions.

The Commissioner also indicated that, in cooperation with the various security and military authorities, citizens were warned not to approach these red areas, as awareness of the seriousness of the situation in the mountainous areas must be realized, as he put it.

Visiting the Home of the Two Martyrs

In a related context, a special press source confirmed to “JDD” that the governor of Kasserine, the first Commissioner, the authority’s commissioner and some security and military units have turned to the family home of the two martyrs to offer condolences, referring to the transfer of both the regional director of women and family affairs, Al-Zain Al-Najlawi, and the regional director of education, Moncef Qasmi, on the day of the accident, to the scene of the explosion, he said.

It should be noted that two children, aged 10 and 12, were killed on Thursday, March 11th, following the explosion of a landmine in the Jabal Sallum area of the prefecture of Kasserine.

Frequent Terrorist Incidents in Tunisia

To remember, after the Arab Spring revolution, Tunisia has been subjected to repeated terrorist attacks, For example, the Al-Rouhiya incident in 2011, and the events of Jebal Al-Chaanbi that began since 2013 and continued until today, resulting in the death of about 38 soldiers, in addition to the Qbollat incident in 2013. Add to that, the attacks that occurred in the Sidi Ali Ben Aoun region, the Bardo Museum, and Sousse in 2015, in addition to the Tunis bombing and the Ben Guerdane attack in 2016.