The opening of the Ras Jadir border crossing between Libya and Tunisia, which was scheduled for Monday, was postponed after protests organized by citizens in the city of Zuwara.
The protesters expressed their rejection of the decisions issued by the Minister of Interior in the outgoing National Unity Government, describing them as carrying ethnic and racist tendencies against the Amazigh in Libya.
The protesters considered that these decisions fall within the policies of deliberate marginalization targeting their areas, including not allocating sufficient budgets for infrastructure and solving problems such as water and salaries, noting that these policies include ethnic discrimination and sectarian incitement.
The protesters entered into an open sit-in, closing all entrances to the Greater Zuwara Municipality, including the Ras Jadir border crossing and the coastal road leading to it.
They called on the government to retract the aforementioned decisions and end discrimination against the Amazigh, stressing their coordination with the Supreme Council for the Amazigh of Libya and the Amazigh municipal councils to take steps that may lead to canceling recognition of the government’s decisions.
Yesterday, Sunday, the Tunisian authorities announced the reopening of the Ras Jadir border crossing with Libya, after signing a security agreement between the two countries aimed at improving relations and facilitating movement through this vital crossing.
It was closed on March 20 due to the escalation of security tensions and the outbreak of clashes between forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior and the Military Council in the city of Zuwara, which led to the cessation of trade exchange and passenger movement between the two countries, and sparked protests in Tunisia demanding the reopening of the crossing.
A Turkish frigate conducts military training off the coast of Libya