Tunisia lifts emergency rule in force since 2011 uprising

TUNIS: Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has lifted a state of emergency in force since the 2011 uprising that triggered the Arab Spring, his office said on Thursday.

"The president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces ... issued a decree lifting the state of emergency in the whole country from Wednesday, March 5, 2014," a statement said.

Tunisia has been rocked by sporadic attacks blamed on jihadists since the 2011 revolution that toppled a decades-old dictatorship and touched off uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East.

In November, Marzouki had extended the emergency rule for eight months until the end of June, meaning it has been lifted four months early.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Tunisia-lifts-emergency-rule-in-force-since-2011-uprising/articleshow/31544473.cms