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| Africa North | |
| Tunisia Can't Cope with Massive Libya Refugee Influx | |
| 2014-07-31 | |
[AnNahar] Tunisia cannot cope with any massive influx of refugees who might seek to enter the country from strife-torn neighboring Libya and will close its border if necessary, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest... , Mongi Hamdi told a presser. "We will close the border if the national interest requires it," he added. Libya has suffered chronic insecurity since Qadaffy's ouster, with the new government unable to check militias that helped to overthrow him and facing a growing threat from Islamist groups. Scores of people have been killed in recent days in fighting for control of the capital's international airport, knocked out of commission by the violence, and in the restive eastern city of Benghazi. The capital Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... has also been hit by fierce fighting between rival militias since mid-July, and a rocket fired in the fighting ignited a fuel depot, which is still blazing. The violence has led thousands of people to flee the country overland or by sea. Hamdi did not give a total for the number of people who have entered the country during the latest violence, which erupted two weeks ago. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... he did speak of a daily figure of "5,000 to 6,000 in recent days". At the same time, he did say that he had asked the U.N. to be present "in force to face the influx of refugees" if necessary. Hamdi also said Egyptian and Jordanian migrant workers fleeing Libya could only transit through Tunisia. He said the two countries had asked that their nationals seeking to leave should be allowed to transit through Tunisia. The minister said the workers should "be provided with plane tickets and should be directly transferred to the airports at Djerba and Gabes" in southern Tunisia. At the southern border crossing at Ras Jedir, an Agence La Belle France Presse journalist reported long queues of vehicles of all kinds, laden with luggage, waiting to enter Tunisia. Police and National Guard reinforcements were on hand to patrol the border and were seen searching people and property. "You never know, wanted individuals could take advantage of the situation to get through or to smuggle arms or other banned products into the country," an officer who declined to be named said. The Libya-Tunisia border is a busy transit point for all kinds of goods, particularly petrol and food products, which help fuel a large part of southern Tunisia's economy. Consignments of Libyan weapons are also regularly seized by customs. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |