The OPEC oil producer is caught in a conflict between two governments and parliaments since a group called Libya Dawn seized Tripoli in the summer.
The recognized government has been forced to work out of the east. In recent weeks it has sought to regain ground in the west with airstrikes and the use of allied troops from the Zintan area calling themselves the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Omar al-Sanki, interior minister of the recognized government, said his forces had seized the western Ras Jdir border crossing, the main gateway into Tunisia.
But a Libyan border official and the mayor of Zuwara, a town east of Ras Jdir, denied this.
“Our forces ... are still in control of Ras Jdir and it is not true that the borders have been taken by the army of tribes - LNA,” said the mayor, Hafed Juma.
He said war planes belonging to the eastern-based government had attacked their positions, killing four people.
Border is open
A Tunisian security source said there was fighting in the Libyan area of Boukamech near Ras Jdir. The border station was open, though Tunisia had advised its citizens to avoid the crossing.
In another setback for travelers, two Libyan state carriers said they had halted flights out of Tripoli and Misrata to Istanbul after the European Union imposed an overfly ban last week......................Reuters..............http://www.voanews.com/content/fighting-breaks-out-near-libya-tunisia-border-crossing/2558328.html
14/12/14
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Tunisia warns against travel to Libya as 2 nationals killed at border ....
ReplyDeleteTunisia warned nationals not to travel to Libya given the escalating violence near the borders as two Libyans were killed near the border post of Ras Jedir on Sunday.
The targeted Libyan zone of Boukamech, which is near the southern-east Tunisian borders, has been under attack by the armed militias of retired General Khalifa Haftar, according to media reports.
Local witnesses in Ben Guerdane and Zarzis confirmed that they were able to hear sounds of violent explosions and missiles falling near the Ras Jedir border-crossing.
The border area has recently witnessed several armed conflicts which pushed the Tunisian authorities to provide a heavy security and army presence, in order to protect the Tunisian frontiers.
The security situation in Libya has been deteriorating since early 2014. As most of their hometowns were turned into war zones, hundreds of thousands of Libyan refugees fled their country to the neighboring Tunisia.
Massive refugees coming from Libya have directly affected the security, social and economic situation in Tunisia.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/896778.shtml
15/12/14