Tunisian Suspension of Ras Ajdair Border Might Cause Libyans to Shut Down Border

(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)

Unconfirmed reports indicate that Libyan authorities have closed down the Ras Ajdair border with Tunisia.

The Ras Ajdair border has been suspended for two days so far, only allowing Libyans and Tunisians to return to their respective countries.

The suspension of the border was a result of protests that broke out in the Ben Guerdane neighbourhood in Tunisia. Protesters blocked the road that connects Ben Guerdane to the Ras Ajdair border.

Some protesters even set-up tents on the road that leads to Ras Ajdair. The protesters are objecting to the crackdown on Tunisian smugglers who are trying to smuggle fuel and food from Libya to Tunisia.

There has been a rise in smuggling from Libya to Tunisia causing the prices of goods to drop which residents of Ben Guerdane have benefited from.

As soon as the Libyan authorities stepped up their border patrol security measures preventing the smugglers from taking Libyan goods into Tunisia illegally, smugglers from Ben Gurdane blocked the road to Ras Ajdair and would not allow Libyans to enter Libya or Tunisian goods to enter Libya through the border crossing.