Despite Coronavirus, goods continue to flow between Libya and Tunisia via land border

By Sami Zaptia.

London, 19 July 2020:

Goods have continued to flow between Libya and Tunisia through their land border, the Ras Jdair Security Directorate reported yesterday.

This comes despite the current border closure between the two countries for passengers instigated to mitigate the Coronavirus. The flow of goods was restarted in June after Tunisia had shut its border back in March to mitigate against the Coronavirus.

In April hundreds of goods-laden trucks were stuck at the border for months awaiting entry. An intervention by the Tripoli Chamber of Commerce forced a solution.

The Security Directorate re-emphasized that truck drivers from either side are not allowed to enter the other country nor encounter each other, and that goods are exchanged at ‘‘point zero’’ (no-mans-land).

The news comes as some reports begin to emerge of some shortages of goods of Libyan origin within the Libyan market.

It will be recalled that a cargo service was announced in April between Sfax and Tripoli to help ease trade between the two countries.

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