Dozens of Libyans spend their third consecutive day in the open near the Ras Jedir border crossing, hoping that their country’s authorities will pay attention to them and allow them to pass in light of the continued closure of the crossing.
The stranded Libyans sent a distress call to the Government of National Unity and the Libyan Presidential Council, asking them to intervene and end their suffering, which was caused by a sudden decision by the Libyan authorities to close the crossing immediately due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation in Tunisia.
An unexpected decision
The head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, Mustapha Abdelkebir said in a statement to the JDD Tunisie website that the decision to close was unilateral by the Libyan side, especially since it came on the eve of a meeting between Tunisian Health Minister Fawzi Mahdi and his Libyan counterpart, during which it was agreed to keep the crossing open with the tightening of the health protocol.
He added that this decision did not leave the Libyans the opportunity to return to their homes, and a large number of them entered Tunisia for treatment in Tunisian hospital institutions.
120 families and bodies
Abdelkabir reported that about 100 Libyan families were stuck inside their cars in high temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in the shade.
He added that among the stranded, 4 are the bodies of Libyan citizens who died in Tunisia and their families were unable to return them to the homeland for burial in Libyan cemeteries.
He also pointed out that 35 Tunisian cars and more than 150 Tunisian workers are waiting in turn from the other side to return to their homeland.
pressure on the government
The stranded Libyans are demanding the government to intervene urgently, and their families are exerting pressure from within to open the crossing and allow their children to enter from many cities.
Tunisian aid
Mustapha Abdelkebir confirmed that a large number of Tunisians came to extend a helping hand to the stranded Libyans, especially through the Tunisian Red Crescent – Ben Guerdane Branch and civil society activists.
He pointed out that Tunisian families had received a number of Libyans in their homes until the crisis eased.
Signs of solutions
Our interviewer indicated that the Libyan Presidential Council sent 3 officials to the crossing on Saturday in order to find solutions to open the crossing, stressing that meetings are continuing between the Tunisian and Libyan sides so far at the Libyan Consulate General in Tunis to get out of the crisis.
He continued, “Once again, the Tunisian foreign policy proves its failure, especially since its children are stuck on the other side, in addition to the difficult situation experienced by workers and merchants alike,” noting that aid reaches Tunisians inside Libya through private initiatives and personal relations only.
