Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi made a diplomatic gaffe during a solidarity march in the nation's capital on Sunday, after he publicly referred to French President François Hollande as “François Mitterand."
Both Essebsi and Hollande attended an anti-terror protest in Tunis that reportedly attracted thousands of people. Demonstrators marched toward the Bardo National Museum, the site of an attack on March 18 that left 22 people dead.
Quickly realizing his error after audience members exclaimed in shock, Essebsi apologized for the name gaffe, and gave Hollande a cheek kiss. Onlookers, as well as the French president, responded with laughter and applause. Watch the incident, below (the gaffe happens around the one-minute mark):
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Hollande shares his first name with former French President François Mitterrand, who led the country from 1981 to 1995. He was France's longest-serving president, and died in 1996.
Earlier on Sunday, Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid said a leading suspect in the Bardo National Museum attack had been killed in anti-terrorist operations. Khaled Chaieb, also known as Abou Sakhr Lokman, was one of nine terror suspects killed overnight in an operation near the Algerian border, Essid said, according to state-run media outlet Tunisian News Agency. Chaieb is believed to be a prominent Algerian militant in al-Qaeda's North African arm.
On March 18, gunmen dressed in military-style clothing stormed the museum, and trapped several people inside. While two of the attackers were killed in a gun battle with police, two or three other suspects remained at large.
The majority of the 22 victims were tourists from Poland, France, Colombia, Japan, Australia and Spain.
The attack came several years after Tunisia overthrew its dictator in 2011, and kickstarted the Arab Spring movement. While the country has successfully transitioned to democracy, it still struggles with violence by Islamic extremists.
The Bardo National Museum, a popular tourist attraction adjacent to Tunisia's parliament building in Tunis, houses relics from the country's history and includes a large collection of Roman mosaics.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press, Anita Li and Megan Specia