Tunisia and Libya agree on border trade to resume

Tunisian and Libyan authorities have agreed to resume vital trade through the Ras Jedir border crossing following a week of unrest and angry protests in the region.

An agreement was reached after fresh talks between the two sides, according to an anonymous source speaking to AFP. One of the members who took part in the negotiations, lawmaker Ahmed Laamari, said the deal should come into force this Sunday. The terms of the agreement have not been confirmed but it is understood that the vital trade route for Libyans and Tunisians will resume.

Ras Jedir is the main border crossing shared between western Libya and south-eastern Tunisia, whose residents are largely dependent on the legal and illegal cross-border trade for their livelihoods. For the last couple of weeks, the crossing has been blocked off by angry protesters at the Tunisian border town of Ben Guerdane demanding the free flow of trade through the frontier. Yesterday, protesters continued the roadblock between Ras Jedir to Ben Guerdane, where calm had been restored following clashes between demonstrators and police last week. The agreement comes as a similar customs arrangement was signed in May 2016 after a wave of unrest but was never implemented.

Tensions broke out earlier this month with residents accusing authorities of ignoring their demands. Tunisian authorities had previously and for a long time relegated the issue and stated that the political chaos and fighting between militias in Libya was a priority for Tunis rather than trade.