Nach tagelangen Unruhen in der tunesischen Grenzregion wird die Grenze für die kommenden Tage wieder geöffnet. Die lokale tunesische Bevölkerung lebt von dem informellen grenzüberschreitenden Handel und sah sich durch das neue Grenzregime in ihrer wirtschaftlichen Existenz bedroht. Auf tunesischer Seite verhandelten Regierungsvertreter, auf libyscher Seite Vertreter der autonomen Grenzregion, zu der sowohl die Grenzabschnitte zu Tunesien wie auch ein beträchtlicher westlibyscher Küstenabschnitt gehört. Die Bevölkerung dieser westlibyschen Region lebt ebenfalls von dem informellen Warenexport nach Tunesien wie auch von dem Ablegen der Boat-people.

Quelle: The Libya Observer | 14.01.2017

Libya, Tunisia temporarily agree to resume trade via Ras Ajdair border

Libyan and Tunisian officials at the Ras Ajdair border agreed – temporarily – on Friday to resume the trading of commodities via the border crossing in the four coming days on a gradual basis before a Libyan-Libyan meeting takes place Saturday to finalize the agreement.

The Governor of Madnin in Tunisia, Taher Al-Matmati, said that the agreement looked going in the right direction as the resumption of trading goods via Ras Ajdair took a smooth start, adding that this step will pave a solid way for continuing talks by both sides over the obstacles they face and the measures, which should to be taken to end the issue, according to the Tunisian News Agency.

“Madnin Governor, a representative of the Tunisian Foreign Ministry’s Consulate Affairs and Tunisian MPs attended the meeting along with Libyan security and customs officials at Ras Ajdair border.” Added the Tunisian News Agency.

Ben Guerdane town in Tunisia has been going through violence-ridden protests for days, where the townsmen complained about the Tunisian government’s policy of marginalization toward the southern region, stressing that the government did not bother looking for a solution for Ras Ajdair issue, which is completely impassable though it isn’t closed by neither country.

A number of Ben Guerdane residents went on a strike on the road that leads from the Ras Ajdair border crossing to southern Tunisian cities in protest of the strict measures of the Libyan side that prohibit the Tunisian smugglers from smuggling goods from Libya to their country.

Smuggling, which is called trade by the Ben Guerdane residents, is the most important and essential source of income for the city’s population as well as the residents of the rest of Tunisian’s southern cities.