By Houda Mzioudet.
Tunis, 27 January 2016:
Cross border traffic between Libya and Tunisia has revived following last week’s temporary closure of the . . .[restrict]Wazen-Dehiba border crossing and the Tunisian curfew following violent protests in a number of Tunisian towns and suburbs of Tunis over economic and social conditions in the country.
The southern crossing was briefly closed for two days after the protests spread. It reopened on Sunday 24 January. However, both Ras Jedir and Wazen-Dehiba border crossings are still closed during the Tunisian curfew time, now between 10pm and 5 am.
The southern crossing is currently experiencing more traffic than that at Ras Jedir, normally the main border post. A Tunisian official at Dehiba told the Libya Herald that between 1,500 and 1,600 Libyans are using it to cross into Tunisia daily.
This compares to around 500-600 a day at Ras Jedir, according to Ben Guerdane civil society activist.
Continuing anti-government and anti-Libyan protests in the Tunisian border town of Ben Gueradane, home to many smugglers, has resulted in large numbers of Libyan drivers opting to use the longer southern route via Wazen. [/restrict]
