Tunisia: After years of war in Libya, Tunisian traders celebrated the reopening of the border with their oil-rich north African neighbour as a positive sign they hoped would stimulate economic growth.

       In the hardscrabble Tunisian coastal town of Ben Guerdane, some 30 km from Libya’s frontier, merchant Jaafar Ben Ali said it was a big relief.

       “Now that the war (in Libya) is over, and that the borders are open, it is much easier,” sai d Ben Ali, who crosses to Libya to buy Turkish-made blankets.

       “I do a round-trip in a day.”

       Tunisia’s economy has lurched from crisis to crisis since the country’s 2011 revolution, most recently due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures.But it was also hit by the impact of war next door in Libya, where a decade of conflict raged ever since the 2011 uprising that killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

       One United Nations (UN) study estimated the Libyan crisis was “responsible for 24% of the deceleration of economic growth” in Tunisia from 2011-2015.

       That was equivalent to a loss of US$880mil (RM3.66bil) per year, or 2% of Tunisia’s gross domestic product, the UN said.

       The town of Ben Guerdane, in Tunisia’s under-developed and impoverished southeastern region, felt the impact harder than most.

       For years, Tunisian authorities had turned a blind eye to smuggling, partly because of the dire economic situation in the border region.

       But in 2016, after a jihadist attack claimed by a Libyan branch of the Islamic State group, Tunisia imposed stricter controls, sparking protests. — Reuters