The Interior Minister of the Government of National Unity Emad Al-Trabelsi announced on Wednesday the withdrawal of members working in the Security Directorate, the Police Station, and the Passports and Nationality Authority from the Ras Ajdair border to "preserve lives and property.”
The ministry explained that Al-Trabelsi decided to do so “after outlaw armed groups carried out mobilizations with light and medium weapons, which posed a direct threat to the members working at the border.” It explained that the Minister of the Interior informed the Attorney General, the Head of the Presidential Council, and the Prime Minister of the course of events that occurred and the closure of the border until further notice, in addition to the transfer of three expensive automatic detection cars, within the borders of Tunisia, in coordination with the Tunisian authorities in order to preserve public funds and properties.
Al-Trabelsi's decision came hours after he confirmed the ministry's intention to regain control of the Ras Ajdair border crossing with Tunisia, "even if it was necessary to use force."
Meanwhile, Zuwara municipality threatened to organize "civil disobedience" if the Government of National Unity did not intervene quickly to put an end to the “abuses and provocations” at the Ras Ajdair border. It called in a video statement on the Presidential Council, the governmen, and the High Council of State to“bear their official and moral responsibility to prevent an armed conflict in the region.
The municipality said that Zuwara was prepared to confront any emergency in the event of the continuation of what it described as explicit provocations issued by the Minister of Interior, adding that "if the government does not intervene, we will be forced to resort to all means including cutting off communication and stopping work in all facilities from Mellitah Oil Complex in the east to Ras Ajdair in the west," saying Al-Trabelsi's decisions were “ill-considered, provocative, and intended to settle tribal scores."
