Ahmad 
Disagreements between Libyan armed groups and the Interior Ministry have caused the Ras Jedir border crossing between Tunisia and Libya to close for more than a month, negatively affecting both countries.
Mediation and attempts to find a solution to the crisis have failed, with a meeting held last Sunday with the participation of representatives of armed groups in western Libya to discuss the reopening of the crossing.
The altercations at the meeting escalated into fistfights between militia representatives and Libyan Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi, with the latter demanding the replacement of members of the pro-factional administration at the crossing.
Movement at the crossing has been completely halted since March 19th after limited skirmishes between Zuwara militias and a force affiliated with the Law Administration, which entered the crossing on the basis of an Interior Ministry mandate to control it.
The Interior Ministry has begun its efforts to control the crossing in order to combat smuggling and facilitate movement between the two countries, while the other side accuses the minister of seeking to implement his government’s agenda to control the crossing.
The minister’s moves are described as an “attempt to restore state sovereignty” by some analysts, while others see them as part of Libya’s power struggle and armed rivalry.
The closure of the crossing has caused several crises, with citizens struggling to access basic services such as health care, and Tunisia’s southern regions suffering from economic paralysis due to the cessation of activities that used to rely on visitors from Libya.
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