Tunisian Protesters Close A Border Post With Algeria
Dozens of Algerians who are wishing to travel to Tunisia, on Tuesday, through the Haddadah border post in Souk Ahrass Province, eastern Algeria, were unable to cross the border into the Sakiet Sidi Yousef area, because of the escalating protests in the district of the Tunisian El Kef city for several days, after the suicide of a young man who is living in Sakiet Sidi Youssef in a protest against the difficult social conditions in last week end, which ignited protests among the residents of the region before they closed the international road that is linking Tunisia and Algeria with stones and barricades, and set fire to the rubber wheels, which caused the closure of the transit movement between the two countries from the area of Sakiet Sidi Youssef, despite the intervention of the Tunisian authorities in the state of Kef to make a number of suggestions and call the protesters throughout the day and night at the entrance to the Sakiet Sidi Youssef, to break their sit-ins and end the protest movement, and allow vehicles to cross.
Dozens of Algerians who are wishing to travel to Tunisia for treatment, to spend some necessities or even to visit their families in Tunisian territory, returned to other border posts in the provinces of El Tarf and Tebessa (east of Algeria), searching for a route that would take them to the Tunisian territory.
According to some returnees from the Haddadah border post in the province of Souk Ahras, the border police advised them not to cross from this area because of the protests in Sakiet Sidi Youssef, while other sources said that the Tunisian authorities informed the Algerian authorities not to allow Algerians to cross their vehicles from the border area to avoid any problems due to the anger of Tunisian protesters.
Protests of Sakiet Sidi Youssef in the Tunisian state of El Kef coincide with the protest of dozens of Tunisians from the regions of El Matlaoui, Oum El Arayes and Radif in Gafsa, from crossing the border while carrying Algerian flags, and access the Algerian territory from the area of Betitah in the state of Tebessa (eastern Algeria), to escape what they described as the bad social conditions due to unemployment and the luck of job opportunities, and the increases that were approved by the Tunisian government on various products, which largely influenced their lives after they became unable to provide a decent living, calling upon the Algerian authorities to take care of them.