Tunisia on Tuesday extended by three months a state of emergency imposed following jihadist attacks and hosted talks with Libya's neighbours on the growing threat posed by the Islamic State group. Authorities also decided to reopen the border with Libya, which had been closed two weeks ago after a deadly raid on the frontier town of Ben Guerdane which they blamed on the jihadist group.
Analysts and officials have said the raid was an attempt by the extremist organisation to spread its influence from Libya across the border into Tunisia. The North African nation, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, has suffered from a wave of jihadist violence since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. IS claimed brazen attacks last year on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis and a beach resort, and a November suicide bombing in the capital, that killed in total 59 tourists and 12 presidential guards.
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