Tunisia to repatriate citizens stranded on border with Libya

19 Avril 2020

Tunis, Tunisia, April 19 (Infosplusgabon)  -  An operation to repatriate hundreds of Tunisians stranded on the border with Libya began here Saturday, an official said.

Moustapha Abdelkrim, president of the Tunisian Observatory of Human Rights, said in a statement that Tunisians stranded on the border with Libya who wanted to return to Tunisia exceeded 1,000, indicating this number would increase in the coming hours.

The repatriation operation was delayed due to organizational obstacles and the need for the Tunisian authorities to take the necessary security and health measures to avoid the dangerous consequences of this operation on the lives of the populations, he explained.

The Tunisian authorities are obliged to ascertain the identities of the returnees for reasons related to the fear of seeing suspected terrorists among them, especially after the release of prisoners from Sabratah and Sarmana in recent days.

The Tunisian Human Rights Observatory had recently been informed by the Libyan Red Crescent that many Tunisians were facing enormous difficulties linked to the security situation and unrest in Libya.

The Tunisian Consul General in Tripoli had previously announced in a press release the opening of the Ras Jedir border crossing to allow Tunisians stranded at the border to return to their country from Saturday.

It is recalled that more than 1,200 Tunisians have returned from Libya in recent times and have safely returned to their respective regions where they are subject to general health confinement.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/BRD/GABON2020

© Copyright  Infosplusgabon