During the conference, Al-Trabelsi pointed out Tunisia for alleged trafficking in fuel to Libyan regions close to the border, also accusing the country of illegally benefiting from Libyan wealth, supplying a commercial imbalance.
The Minister of the Interior of the Libyan Government of National Unit, Imed Al-Trabeli, held a press conference in reaction to the recent incidents on the border of Ras Jedir with Tunisia on March 18, where clashes broke out between the forces relating to his ministry and those of the border municipality of Zouara.
During this conference, which lasted more than an hour and was broadcast on the official page of his ministry as well as on several Libyan and Arab channels, Al-Tarabulsi spoke of the circumstances of the attack, threatening to take over the border post, even if it required military intervention to end the control of military training under the municipality of Zouara, which has managed this strategic point since 2011 after the fall of the deceased Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
During this conference, the minister did not mention any foreign country other than Tunisia, focusing particularly on the situation of fuel in densely populated regions close to the Tunisian border such as Zouara, Zliten, Az Zawiyah, Al-Jumayl and Raqalladin. He accused the Tunisian government authorities of sending quantities of fuel to these regions but of illegally passing it to Tunisia. “And in return we receive tablets,” he accuses.
Al-Trabeli also expanded his criticisms of Tunisia, saying that the “wealth of Libyans” were illegally transported to Tunisians, while Tunisia only matured cereals, thus evoking the commercial imbalance between the two countries.
In addition, contradictions have been noted in al-Tarabulsi declarations, in particular with regard to an important convoy of Libyan trucks extending over 3 km from the Tunisian side of the border after the Libyan conflict authorities decided to close the border post on both sides.
The Libyan Interior Minister also addressed the question of smuggling electronic devices to Tunisia, saying that his country was only a transit point for these goods from China, India and Turkey. Finally, he recognized that Libya is an exporting country of illegal immigration, contradicting the videos published by his ministry accusing the Tunisian authorities of sending migrants to Libya.
