Tunisia Digs Trench Along Libya Border to Stop Infiltration
Saturday, 18 July 2015 14:22
Since April, the Tunisian authorities have been digging a trench along the country's 500-kilometer-long border with Libya to confront what the government has described as the "terrorist danger" emanating from its crisis-wracked eastern neighbour Libya.
Following a March attack on a Tunis museum and last month's attack on a beach in the city of Sousse - both of which targeted foreign tourists – security agencies had said that the perpetrators had received military training from Libya-based extremist groups.
The ISIS militant group, for its part, which has a presence in North Africa, has repeatedly boasted of its ability to bring weapons from Libya into Tunisia.
The first section of the planned border trench will extend 186 kilometers (ten of which have already been completed), from the Ras Ajdir border crossing in the city of Ben Gardane to the Dehiba/Wazin crossing in the Tataouine Governorate.
The Tunisian government subsequently approved the addition of another 40 kilometers.
Last Saturday, Tunisian Defence Minister Farhat al-Harshani visited Ben Gardane, where he inspected the ongoing digging operations.
The trench, Al-Harshani said while in Ben Gardane, "aims to stop the scourge of smuggling, especially of weapons... and will significantly contribute to protecting the country's borders with Libya."
The depth of the trench will vary from 2 to 2.5 meters, said the defence minister, noting that digging operations were being carried out by the Tunisian private sector while being secured by the army.
The entire project, he said, should be completed by the end of this year.
The scheme, however, is not without its critics.
In recent months, residents of Ben Gardane and Dehiba – many of whom depend on trade with neighbouring Libya - have staged protests against the planned trench, which, they fear, will adversely impact their livelihoods.
Since April, the Tunisian authorities have been digging a trench along the country's 500-kilometer-long border with Libya to confront what the government has described as the "terrorist danger" emanating from its crisis-wracked eastern neighbour Libya.
Following a March attack on a Tunis museum and last month's attack on a beach in the city of Sousse - both of which targeted foreign tourists – security agencies had said that the perpetrators had received military training from Libya-based extremist groups.
The ISIS militant group, for its part, which has a presence in North Africa, has repeatedly boasted of its ability to bring weapons from Libya into Tunisia.
The first section of the planned border trench will extend 186 kilometers (ten of which have already been completed), from the Ras Ajdir border crossing in the city of Ben Gardane to the Dehiba/Wazin crossing in the Tataouine Governorate.
The Tunisian government subsequently approved the addition of another 40 kilometers.
Last Saturday, Tunisian Defence Minister Farhat al-Harshani visited Ben Gardane, where he inspected the ongoing digging operations.
The trench, Al-Harshani said while in Ben Gardane, "aims to stop the scourge of smuggling, especially of weapons... and will significantly contribute to protecting the country's borders with Libya."
The depth of the trench will vary from 2 to 2.5 meters, said the defence minister, noting that digging operations were being carried out by the Tunisian private sector while being secured by the army.
The entire project, he said, should be completed by the end of this year.
The scheme, however, is not without its critics.
In recent months, residents of Ben Gardane and Dehiba – many of whom depend on trade with neighbouring Libya - have staged protests against the planned trench, which, they fear, will adversely impact their livelihoods.
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