Tunisia ends state of emergency after three years

President Moncef Marzouk lifted a 37-month old state of emergency from all the territories of Tunisia in a decision announced Mar. 6.

The emergency was imposed on Jan. 15, 2011 after former president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country amid a widespread political uprising.

The soldiers stationed in some of the sensitive areas will return to their barracks, according to the Huffington Post.

Tunisia has been shaken by sporadic attacks blamed on the rebels ever since the decade-old dictatorship was toppled in 2011. That event sparked the uprising across North Africa and Middle East, according to Al Jazera News.

The president says Tunisia has emerged from its political crisis but is still coping with security and economic difficulties, AllAfrica.com reports.

Tunisia brought a moderate Islamist partyto power with the coalition of two secular parties. However, the government has struggled in the wake of continuing unrest and rising extremism.

Tourism to flourish

With improving security, it is believed that tourism will flourish which is a major part of country’s economy. About seven million tourists visited the county just before the uprising in 2010.

Tunisia has been battling Al-Qaeda linked extremists since the revolution. But security has improved in recently.

Many Tunisians think political tension is a costly distraction from the real pressing issues like growing poverty and injustice that had fuelled the revolution, zee.news.com reports.

Tunisia is considered one of the most progressive countries in the region. Many Tunisians are regarded as followers of Arab Secularism.

Some political analysts see Tunisia going back to democracy, and other states may follow.