Tunisian and Libyan authorities have reached a deal to lift a trade blockade at their main border crossing, officials said Saturday after angry street protests. The breakthrough came after an agreement was reached late Friday related to customs duties for goods passing through Ras Jedir, local governor Tahar Matmati said. Libyan border officials halted all freight traffic through the crossing at the end of April in a bid to stop the smuggling of fuel, which is much cheaper across the border.
The closure sparked demonstrations on the Tunisian side and a strike on Wednesday in the impoverished town of Ben Guerdane, whose economy is heavily dependent trade with Libya. On Monday, police used tear gas to disperse a protest by hundreds of demonstrators. Ben Guerdane, one of the North African nation's poorest towns, was also hit by jihadist violence in March from across the border that killed seven civilians and 13 security personnel as well as 55 extremists.