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Tunisian government calls on Libyans not to take part in 'political activities' in Tunisia

November 5, 2014 at 11:16 am

The Tunisian government is calling on Libyans residing in Tunisia not to engage in any political activity without first informing the authorities in advance, noting, at the same time, that the government officially stands at the same distance from all parties in the neighbouring state, Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

This announcement came in a statement issued by the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was sent to Anadolu.

The statement reportedly said: “In the context of protecting Tunisia’ stability and national security, and in order not to be dragged into the domestic affairs of Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls, once again, on all Libyan parties in Tunisia to refrain from participating in any political activity, or organising any meetings, inside the country without sending prior notification to the competent Tunisian authorities.”

The ministry insisted that all Libyans in Tunisia must “abide by the existing laws”, warning that “any violations in this regard could lead to the immediate deportation and ultimate expulsion of the perpetrators from the country.”

The ministry stressed that Tunisia stands at the same distance from all Libyan parties, urging them to sit for dialogue to find a consensual political settlement to the current crisis.

Last June, Libyan residents in Tunisia organised a conference for displaced Libyans in Tunisia, which was attended by two Tunisians parties in addition to supporters of the country’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

According to the official statistics, there are about one million Libyans currently living in Tunisia, most of who arrived in the country after the Libyan revolution of 17 February 2011, which overthrew the Gaddafi regime.

Since the NATO-backed revolution, Libya has been suffering bloody conflict in several cities, especially in Tripoli in the west and Benghazi in the east, between armed militias who are fighting with each other to gain control of the country. Moreover, the country is also going through an ideological political crisis. This conflict recently intensified and led to the return of the previous Islamist dominated parliament, which unilaterally announced a government in Tripoli in parallel to the government that was formed after the last round of elections, which convenes in Tobruk and is internationally recognised.