Tunisia and Libya reopened their common border on Friday (September 17), which had been closed for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, AFP correspondents at the main border post between the two countries noted.
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On the first day of this reopening, decided on Thursday by the Tunisian and Libyan authorities, the number of travelers remained low in both directions at the Ras Jedir border post, in south-eastern Tunisia.
Ras Jedir, the main crossing point
More than a hundred empty trucks, which had to transport food products from Tunisia in particular, were queuing up to enter Tunisian territory, noted an AFP photographer.
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The Ras Jedir post is the main crossing point between western Libya and south-eastern Tunisia, a territory that lives largely on cross-border trade, including smuggling.
In addition, the national airline Tunisair announced Thursday the resumption, from September 23, of its flights to the Libyan airports of Tripoli, Mitiga (north-west) and Benghazi (north-east).
Tunisia is one of the only countries, along with Turkey and Egypt, where flights from Libya are usually allowed and which accepts Libyan nationals without a visa.
On July 8, Libya decided to close its borders with Tunisia and suspend air links with this country which at the time recorded a high rate of coronavirus contamination, exceeding 4,000 daily cases.
In the process, Tunisia decided to do the same.