The Yomiuri Shimbun
Terrorist attack in Tunisia threatens successful transition to democracy
チュニジア襲撃　「民主化モデル」を脅かすテロ

Yet another horrendous case of bloodshed has occurred in North Africa, where terrorist activities by Islamic extremists have been continuing.
イスラム過激派によるテロが続く北アフリカでまた惨事が発生した。
 
Gunmen fired indiscriminately at a museum in the Tunisian capital of Tunis on Wednesday, killing about 20 people, including tourists from abroad, three of them from Japan. Many others were wounded, among them three Japanese.
チュニジアの首都チュニスの博物館で武装集団が銃を乱射し、日本人３人を含む外国人観光客ら約２０人が死亡した。日本人３人など多数が負傷している。

This murderous rampage, which randomly targeted innocent people, can never be forgiven.
罪のない人々を無差別に襲う凶行は、断じて許されない。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe strongly condemned the atrocity, stressing, “We will make the utmost efforts in our fight against terrorism by further deepening cooperation with the international community.” This is perfectly natural.
安倍首相は、犯行を強く非難し、「国際社会と連携を深めながらテロとの戦いに全力を尽くす」と強調した。当然である。

The government must endeavor to protect those who were attacked and ensure the safety of Japanese living overseas.
政府は、被害者の保護や在留邦人の安全確保に努めるべきだ。

It is no longer rare for Japanese people to be embroiled in terrorist assaults abroad. Given these circumstances, the government must strengthen its measures for collecting information about regions with unstable security and for disseminating warnings about such regions.
日本人が海外でテロに巻き込まれる例は、もはや珍しくない。政府は、情勢が不安定な地域に関する情報収集と、危険情報の発信を強化しなければならない。

The security authorities in Tunis reportedly shot to death two Tunisian members of the group of gunmen, and have taken multiple suspects into custody. An Islamic extremist organization is suspected of being involved in the daylight raid. The whole truth of the incident should be brought to light promptly.
現地の治安当局が、武装集団のチュニジア人２人を射殺し、複数の容疑者を拘束したという。事件へのイスラム過激派組織の関与が疑われている。全容解明を急いでもらいたい。

Tunisia is known for having spearheaded the Arab Spring uprisings for democratization, in which long-standing dictatorial regimes in the Middle East and North Africa were toppled by the people. After the collapse in the 2011 Jasmine Revolution of the administration of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, whose dictatorship had lasted for 23 years, popular revolts spread to Egypt, Libya and elsewhere.
チュニジアは、中東や北アフリカの長期独裁政権を民衆が倒す民主化運動「アラブの春」の先陣を切った。２３年続いたベンアリ政権が２０１１年の「ジャスミン革命」で崩壊すると、その波はエジプト、リビアなどに広がった。

3,000 joining ISIL

Amid the political turmoil in those countries following the easing of dictatorial rule, Tunisia was able to craft a democratic system for the coexistence of secular groups and Islamic moderates. It thereby drew international attention as a model for a successful transition to democracy.
独裁統治の緩んだ各国で政情が混乱する中、チュニジアは、世俗派とイスラム穏健派が共存する政治体制を構築し、民主化の成功モデルとして注目された。

Behind this progress, however, public order and security deteriorated in Tunisia, while investment from abroad and the number of foreign tourists dropped significantly, sending the Tunisian economy into stagnation. With radicalism spreading among young people and others in poverty who are dissatisfied with society, there can be no denying that the threat of terrorism existed before the Tunis attack.
ただ、その陰で治安が悪化し、外国の投資や観光客が落ち込み、経済は停滞していた。社会に不満を持つ貧しい若者らに過激主義が浸透し、テロの潜在的な脅威があったことは否めない。

The number of Tunisian fighters who have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) based in Iraq and Syria, is reportedly about 3,000. They are the largest group among overseas members of ISIL, causing Tunisia to earn the dishonorable nickname of an “exporter of extremist elements.”
イラクとシリアに根を張る過激派組織「イスラム国」に参加したチュニジア人戦闘員は、約３０００人に達するという。出身国別で最も多く、「過激分子の輸出国」との不名誉な異名も取った。

Until the latest incident, terrorist activities in Tunisia had been considered to be limited compared to the rampant presence of Islamic extremist groups in the neighboring countries of Libya and Algeria. The recent shooting has upended this belief.
隣国のリビアとアルジェリアでイスラム過激派組織が跋ばっ扈こするのに対し、チュニジアでの活動は限定的と見られていた。だが、今回の事件は、その見方を覆した。

To ensure that the foundation of its democratic system, which it has managed to build at long last, is not shaken, the Tunisian government should seriously address the challenge of restoring public order and resuscitating the economy.
チュニジア政府は、せっかく築いた民主主義体制の基盤を揺るがせないため、治安回復と経済再建に真剣に取り組む必要がある。

After the gunmen’s siege, President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia declared his government’s strengthening of measures to stamp out terrorists. Tougher steps for clamping down on terrorist groups, as well as bolstering inspections and surveillance at such places as airports and borders, are urgently needed to stem the infiltration of terrorist fighters.
事件後、セブシ大統領は、テロ掃討の強化を宣言した。過激派集団の摘発や、戦闘員の往来を阻止するための空港や国境での検問や監視の強化が急務である。

For its part, Japan must step up efforts to extend assistance to Tunisia in cooperation with the United States and European nations.
日本も、欧米諸国と連携し、チュニジア支援に力を入れたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 20, 2015)