Pressure is increasing on the President of the Tunisian Republic, Kais Saied, to reopen the borders with neighboring Libya. The southern regions of Tunisia are starting to suffer dramatically from the interruption of the border crossings of Ras Jedir and Daiba, asking the presidency not to prolong the agony or provide the necessary support to cope with the financial damage of this decision.
The reopening of the borders with Libya was on the table of discussions at the recent meeting of the foreign and interior ministers of the two countries and the ministerial meeting in Algeria of neighboring countries. However, according to local media reports, the departure on leave of the Libyan foreign affairs manager in Tunisia coincides with the so-called “cancellation” of the visit of the head of the Libyan transitional government, Abdel hamid Dbeibah, has sparked controversy. Informed sources have assured The Arab Post that it is a storm in a glass of water, to put it in a metaphor. Dbeibah’s visit to Tunisia aimed to announce the borders between the two North African countries.
However, the Tunisia Scientific Committee for the fight against coronavirus opposed reopening, considering the flow of people between the two countries as a threat, at this point of the vaccination campaign. According to the Committee, the borders’ reopening is not recommendable until most of the population has received the second dose of the vaccine.
The head of the Libyan Unity Government, therefore, decided to postpone his visit. Regarding the leave of the Libyan Affairs Officer in Tunisia, the same sources indicated that he had already planned to go on vacation for some time. Still, he postponed his departure to be present at the time of the visit of the head of the Libyan government. After the postponement of the Libyan prime minister’s visit, who had flown to Rome in the past few hours, the diplomat has finally decided to keep his program unchanged.
In recent days, an advisor to the Tunisian presidency had invited everyone to moderate their tone with neighboring Libya, denying the rumors in the media of a possible break in diplomatic relations. In statements to the press, the presidency made it clear that the ties between the two peoples are indissoluble, describing such news as unfounded.