Biosecurity Project in Tunisia

Background

Tunisia is one of the North African countries currently undergoing a democratic transition. However, the conditions for this transition are difficult: economic crises and armed Islamists within the country and on its borders are causing security problems.
Given its strategic location between Libya, Algeria and the Mediterranean, Tunisia is at risk of being used by terrorist groups as a transit or retreat area or as a terrorist target. In this context, the deliberate release of high-consequence pathogens could pose a major threat to the population. At the same time, pathogens endemic to Tunisia could exacerbate an already tense security situation in the event of natural outbreaks.

The project was launched in 2017 as part of the German Enable & Enhance Initiative and has been implemented since 2023 as part of the German Biosecurity Programme.

Objectives

In this context, the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and partners from the Tunisian Medical Service, is implementing a project to strengthen Tunisia's capacity to prevent and respond to biological threats.
The aim of the Tunisia Biosecurity Project is to promote Tunisian ownership by enabling partners to effectively prevent and respond to crises involving biological threats. A civil-military network will be established and Tunisia's national biological security crisis response capability will be strengthened by providing equipment and training in mobile diagnostics.

Measures

The General Directorate of Military Health of the Tunisian Ministry of Defence and the Military Hospital in Tunis have been identified as partners. Together with specialist staff from the Institut Pasteur and the Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis, these institutions will provide specialist staff for the diagnostic team of the Tunisian mobile laboratory.
The project focuses on training Tunisian experts in the diagnosis of dangerous biological agents:

• Providing a mobile diagnostic unit to the Tunisian partners
• Training a Tunisian diagnostic team in the use of the mobile diagnostic unit
• Training of a Tunisian team of trainers for the mobile laboratory ("train the trainer" concept)
• Analyses of the incidence of high-consequence pathogens in Tunisia