Algeria announces state of emergency on Tunisia border

Algerian authorities announced a state of emergency on its borders with Tunisia yesterday, after reports that about 800 Tunisians were returning from conflict zones emerged, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Algerian authorities took intensified security measures in Al-Maa Al-Abyad and Al-Koweef districts across the 1,000 kilometre border. The Algerians placed monitoring cameras for vehicles and people, in addition to sitting up 20 observation points.

Commenting on the situation, security expert Faisal Al-Sharif told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “The wave of social protests, which have surged in Algeria recently due to the price hikes and a new budget, were the main reason behind the announcement of the state of emergency.”

He added: “The Algerian government fears these protests will expand and so they caused security problems,” noting that “terrorists” use such opportunities to carry out “terrorist attacks.”

Al-Sharif also said that the return of some “terrorists” from “battlefields” to Tunisia aggravated problems in the country and pushed the Algerian authorities “to take such a decision to protect its eastern borders.”

The security expert pointed out that certain countries are interested in causing insecurity in Algeria. He noted that Algeria’s borders with Morocco are already closed, while the state of emergency along the borders with Libya have been in place for years due to the civil war.

Meanwhile, Tunisian authorities said that they would follow up on and place under surveillance Tunisians returning back from war zones after having travelled there to fight with various extremist groups, including Daesh.

Tunisian Defence Minister Farhat Horchani said on Thursday that “there is cooperation with Algeria regarding action against terror.”