海角大神

鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

International flights were canceled and riot police deployed as tens of thousands came out for the burial of slain opposition politician and human rights activist Chokri Belaid in Tunisia today. Observers are closely watching the North African country, praised as the model of the 2011 Arab uprisings, concerned it is at risk of tipping into destabilizing political turmoil and polarization.

"Belaid, rest in peace, we will continue the struggle," mourners chanted at the funeral, carrying flags, banners, and portraits of Mr. Belaid, reports Reuters.

Belaid鈥檚 family has blamed the government for his Feb. 6 assassination, when he was shot at close range outside his home by an assailant who fled on motorbike. The country鈥檚 labor union has also accused the government of playing a role in Belaid鈥檚 death, and called for Tunisia鈥檚 first general strike in 35 years to coincide with today鈥檚 funeral, reports the BBC.

The government, led by the Islamist Ennahda party, has denied the accusations, condemning the murder and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Although there is no proof of government involvement in Belaid's death, the Associate Press notes that the accusations 鈥渟harply raised tensions鈥� in the lead-up to today's funeral.

Critic of Ennahda

The Ennahda party swept October 2011 elections after long-serving former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was pushed out of office during the Arab uprisings. According to 海角大神, 鈥淓nnahda heads a coalition government with two secularist parties that has had a mixed record of success 鈥� [struggling] to appeal both to religious moderates and the working class while also reaching out to more conservative Muslims.鈥澛�

Belaid was a fierce critic of Ennahda, and he 鈥渟poke for many Tunisians who fear religious radicals are bent on snuffing out freedoms won in the first of the revolts that rippled through the Arab world,鈥� according to Reuters. The government has struggled to move forward with the reorganization of the cabinet and a draft constitution, both long overdue.

Compounding Tunisia's political problems is a lagging economy. Elections are to be held in June, but few preparations have been put in motion. Yesterday, Ennahda rejected a plan proposed by the prime minister to create a national unity government, reports The New York Times.

鈥淸M]any Tunisians have grown frustrated by what they call the government鈥檚 failure to keep the peace and relieve economic malaise,鈥� reports The Monitor.

Belaid鈥檚 death has raised concerns that Tunisia is reaching new levels of unrest and violence.

Revolutions are 鈥渕essy and violent,鈥� but Tunisia long stood out for the relatively small number of deaths associated with its 2011 uprising, Dr. Larbi Sadiki, a professor of Middle East politics at the University of Exeter, wrote in Al Jazeera. He added that with the murder of Belaid, 鈥淭unisia enters into a dark tunnel, which will reveal no light until enlightened politics and politicians 鈥榬ationalise鈥� being, thinking and acting鈥�,鈥� warning that violence in the aftermath of Belaid鈥檚 assassination could push Tunisia further off its revolutionary course:

The New York Times notes that 鈥淚n one of the most disturbing aspects of the situation, Mr. Belaid had himself warned just before his death about Tunisia鈥檚 troubling turn toward violence and called for a national dialogue to combat it. He took special aim at Ennahda, accusing the Islamist group of turning a blind eye to crimes perpetrated by hard-line Islamists known as Salafis, including attacking Sufi shrines and liquor stores.鈥�

Karima Bennoune, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, called in an Op-Ed for the San Francisco Chronicle聽for the US to step in and help support Tunisian secularists.