Refugees fleeing Libya 'threaten' Tunisian national security

The Tunisian authorities on Friday announced the temporary closure of Ben Gardane border crossing with Libya after violence broke out in the terminal amid an overwhelming flow of people fleeing Libya.

Tunisian authorities said Libyan border guards had opened fire to push back hundreds of refugees, who wanted to reach Tunisia to flee the chaos plaguing Libya.

Tunisian policemen used teargas to control the situation and closed the crossing temporarily.

"After hundreds of foreign nationals tried to force the Ras Jdir border post to enter Tunisia, the head of national security at Ben Gardane was hit in the leg by a stray bullet from the Libyan side of the border," the ministry said in Tunis.

Since mid-July, Libyan capital Tripoli has been ravaged by deadly fighting between Libyan forces and militiamen in an attempt to take control of the Tripoli airport, killing more than 97 people and injured hundreds others.

The fighting has forced the closure of the city's international airport, while Islamist groups are also battling army special forces in the eastern city of Benghazi.

In the past week, many countries have ordered their citizens to leave and, in some cases, have evacuated them.

“Nearly 10000 people, mostly Egyptians, tried to cross over the borders on Friday. The numbers have been on the rise since hundreds of Libyans on Thursday tried to flee the violence there, said Tunisian journalist Khalifa al-Hadded, based at the Tunisian-Libyan borders.

On Friday, a powerful explosion ripped through the main police headquarters in Benghazi, nearly flattening it, witnesses said. The blast shook nearby houses and echoed across the eastern city.

The intensity of the fighting prompted foreign diplomats to flee the country along with thousands of Libyans and foreign workers.

But with Tripoli International Airport closed by fighting, there are few options besides the Tunisian crossing.

While Tunisia has allowed in Libyans with the correct documentation, it has not allowed other foreigners to transit through the country and has instead organised their immediate transfer to their home countries.

“Two planes left on Friday from Tunisia taking the Egyptians back to Cairo. The Tunisian government has been clear that it will not allow foreigners to stay,” said Hadded.

Yet Tunisia fears it could be submerged under a wave of refugees from Libya, as it was in 2011 during the revolution that toppled former president Ghadafi.

"Our country's economic situation is precarious, and we cannot cope with hundreds of thousands of refugees," Foreign Minister Mongi Hamdi said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Tunisia has been facing a lot of economic pressures which are being exacerbated by the increasing number of Libyans coming in through the borders,” said Abdel Majed Alabdly, professor of political science at the University of Tunis al-Manar.  

The Tunisian government has estimated that there are nearly two million Libyans who have come across the borders and settled in Tunisia over the past few years. The influx of Libyans as violence ravages in Tripoli and Benghazi poses a threat to Tunisia’s internal security.

“The escalating violence in Libya creates a direct impact on the internal security of Tunisia as increasing numbers of foreigners cross the borders every day,” said Saghir al-Thakrawi, head of the law department at the University of Tunis al-Manar.

“Some of them are carrying weapons or are members of armed militias in Libya and may carry out violent operations inside Tunisia,” he added.

“A civil war is developing in Libya and there is a fear that this war will extend into Tunisia through the influx of militia members, armed groups and weapons into the Tunisian borders,” said Alabdly.

Tunisia has been witnessing a rise of terrorist attacks over the past year on its borders with Libya. Security forces stationed near the Chaambi Mountains have been struggling to rid the country of armed groups and maintain stability on the borders.

Some analysts fear that the influx of Libyans that is impacting Tunisia’s security conditions may also impact the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections due to take place in October and December 2014 respectively.

“Although Tunisia’s internal security is greatly threatened at the moment, a lot of preparations for the elections have been put in place and we hope that the situation will not escalate to the extent of destabilising the progression of our upcoming elections as scheduled,” said Hadded.

“It is certain however that national security will be an important topic addressed by the candidates in their campaigns. All political parties will use this issue to try and garner wider public support from their constituencies,” he added.

Not only is the Libyan civil war creating a national security threat in Tunisia, but the social and economic impact will also influence who Tunisians will vote for in the upcoming elections, analysts have said.

“There is a close connection between Libya and Tunisia; social and economic ties run deep,” said Abdel Majed Alabdly.

“The economic and security situation will impact the Tunisian elections and who the people will choose. Many people feel disappointed with the previous government and now vote for candidates who can remedy the economic and security problems were are facing,” said Thakrawi.