The incidents on the Libyan side of the border road port of Ras Jedir would have surprised the Tunisian and Libyan authorities and citizens.
The blow of a return to the cycle of violence and military operations between armed groups and Libyan security forces would be very high for the two peoples and the two governments.
This is indeed a blockage of the “second lung” of Tunisia and Libya.
Its extension risks aggravating the current structural and cyclical economic and political crises.
The same as for the entire Maghreb region.
Regional conflicts
The negative impacts of the closure of the Algerian-Moroccan borders are already quite heavy for the entire region.
For weeks, the tension between Algiers and Rabat has been rising and starting to worry and is taking on an international dimension.
Morocco is moving in force to “recover all its southern districts”, and announces a “grand alliance between the Atlantic Saharan African countries”.
Influential Western countries officially support it, including the USA and Western Europe, including Spain, Germany and France.
At the same time, Algeria is increasing its efforts with its international geo-strategic allies, including Italy, Russia, China, Turkey, Qatar, Iran… and African countries.
Algiers even succeeded in creating a “Maghrebi alliance” with Tunis, Tripoli and Nouakchott.
It continues to support the Polizario front, accused by Rabat and its allies of being a “separatist and hostile movement”.
The result is the swelling of military and security budgets in both countries. Large international arms producers and traders benefit from this.
The role of the “wise”
In this climate of tension the big question that arises is: where are the professional diplomats?
Thirty-five years after the Marrakech summit, the greater Maghreb is still “a project” and “a dream”.
The gap between reality and aspirations for regional integration and complementarity is growing.
Both for the conflicts in Libya and those between Rabat and Algiers, the “wise men” throughout the region should intervene and give another chance to the path of reason.
The convergence of interests should be the top priority of “major decision-makers”.
The development, stability and security of the countries and peoples of the region depend on abandoning the logic of “plots” and bad economic calculations.
We should learn lessons from the great states which lost tens of millions of their children during the two world wars.
But they closed the “parenthesis of wars” and moved to the stage of economic cooperation then to union.
Internal conflicts within each Maghreb country or those with regional and international aspects should be resolved as quickly as possible, thanks to professional diplomats and experienced politicians.
Tunisia, with its official and independent regional and international networks, could play a very positive role.
Border closures should not continue. They do not serve the interests of tens of millions of North African citizens.
Let’s remain optimistic.