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The Nobel committee officially announced the winners of 2015’s Nobel Peace Prize. Contrary to what you would think, the prize was not awarded to Angela Merkel, John Kerry, nor Mohammad Javad Zarif, who were all high-profile nominees. The Nobel Peace Prize was given to Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet. The Norwegian Nobel Committee congratulated the group that represents Tunisia’s civil society for its “decisive contribution” to democracy after the 2011 revolution.
Uniting Tunisia
The National Dialogue Quartet is a coalition of Tunisian unionists, employers, lawyers and human rights activists, namely the Tunisian General Labour Union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. The group was created in 2013 after the assassination of politician Mohamed Al-Brahimi. At the time, Tunisia was confronted to a political environment in which and an Islamist-led government was clashing with a secular opposition, resulting in violent street protests and assassinations. The quarter was mandated to organize talks between the Islamists and the seculars, and to prepare a roadmap that included a technocratic government and an independent election commission. Mokhtar Trifi, the honorary president of the Tunisian Human Rights League, told the press:
“This is extraordinary news. It’s a clear encouragement for the wider process in Tunisia, and for all the work and dialogue that went into the move to elections and democracy. Crucially, it shows that the world is watching us. We have much more to accomplish and are facing new challenges.”
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A long way to go
Although this prize is a reward, as Tunisians stuck with their democratic principles, a few worries remain. The country is still facing security issues, especially from Islamists located at the Lybian border. Two deadly terror attacks occurred this year: in March 2015, 22 people were killed a Museum in Tunis, and in June 2015, 38 tourists died in a resort in Sousse.
Abdessattar Ben Moussa, who represents the Tunisian Human Rights League, recognized that Tunisia “is going through a period marked by political tensions and terrorist threats”. He added that he hopes it will encourage the quartet to take a “larger responsibility” in solving the country’s problems.
