On 6 September, during a press conference held at the headquarters of the Agency for Combating Illegal Immigration in Tripoli, Minister of Interior Emad Trabelsi announced plans to install ‘for the first time’ an electronic surveillance system consisting of day/night vision cameras on the border with Tunisia. He added that all the bases and headquarters located on the border with Tunisia have been handed over to the Ministry’s Border Guard. In the near future, the number of troops will be increased.
According to Trabelsi, the MoI secures the borders with Tunisia from Ras Ajdir (on the coastal road in the north), down to Borj Machehed Salah (located in Tunisia, 40 km northeast of Dahiba – Wazin border crossing) and to the Wazin region in the Jebel Nafusa. He stressed that Libya’s borders with Tunisia ‘are now completely closed to smuggling’, but added that there are still flows of migrants coming from Tunisia to Libya on foot.
The MoI emphasized that there is continuous communication and coordination with the Tunisian government to deal with ‘any emergency’ that ‘threatens’ the two countries. Concurrently with Trabelsi’s press conference, the Tunisian MoI stated that Tunisia, consistent with its policy, will continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard its land and sea borders, thwarting any attempts at illegal crossings.