Tunisian radio reported that the decision was taken following an exchange of fire on the Libyan side.
The Tunisian authorities closed the Ras Jedir border post with Libya on Monday evening “for security reasons”. For their part, the Libyan authorities decided to do the same “after outlaws attacked the crossing”.
“The border post was closed on Monday on the Tunisian side following an exchange of fire on the Libyan side, to preserve the security of citizens heading towards Libyan territory,” official Tunisian radio said on Tuesday.
The radio added: “Citizens blocked at the crossing on the Libyan side have been allowed to enter Tunisia until the security situation at the crossing stabilizes.”
For its part, the Libyan Ministry of the Interior also announced the closure of the Ras Jedir crossing, according to a press release published on its Facebook account at dawn on Tuesday.
The Libyan Interior Ministry said: “Immediate instructions were issued to close the Ras Jedir border post after outlaw groups attacked the crossing to create chaos and disrupt work.”
The Ras Jedir border post is located in Ben Guerdane in the Medenine governorate, southeastern Tunisia, approximately 30 km from the city center and approximately 180 km from the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
There are two border crossings between Tunisia and Libya, the first is that of Ras Jedir while the second is that of Dhiba Wazen (also closed) in the town of Dhiba, in the governorate of Tataouine.
On Sunday, the Libyan Interior Ministry announced that it had deployed security forces to control the crossing to fight against smuggling, curb violations, maintain security and manage passenger traffic on both sides of the border.
