São Paulo – The Brazilian government “vehemently [condemns] the coward attacks” that occurred this Wednesday (18th) at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Relations (Itamaraty). The attack by armed men resulted in the death of 19 people, among them 17 foreign tourists from Italy, Germany, Poland and Spain, according to Tunisian prime-minister Habib Essid. Two of the attackers were shot dead by the National Anti-Terrorism Brigade, said the news agency Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP). There’s still no information about the attackers’ identity.
In the statement, Itamaraty says that “the Brazilian government offers its solidarity to the Tunisian people and government, as well as to the families of the victims of different nationalities” and that it “reiterates its absolute condemnation of terrorism acts and attacks against innocent civilians, carried out under any pretext”.
Itamaraty adds that Tunisia is going through an “admirable process of democratic transition, comprehensive and inclusive, with the well-deserved support of Brazil and the international community as a whole”. At the end of last year, Tunisians elected a new parliament and president (Béji Caïd Essebi), and early February 2015 a new coalition cabinet was formed, four years after the end of the regime of the former president Zine El Abdine Ben Ali in the midst of the Arab Spring.
The formation of the government ended a long transition period. The recovery of economic growth and social inclusion were selected as priorities. The attack at the National Bardo Museum particularly impacts one of the main economic activities of Tunisia: tourism. The museum is one of the main attractions of the Tunisian capital and displays treasures of the classical period, including one of the main collections of Roman mosaics in the world.
Itamaraty’s statement also highlights the fact that Tunisia will host next weekend the World Social Forum, “an event in which a large Brazilian delegation is set to attend”.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani