Algerian-Tunisian Security Meeting Targets Smuggling and Illegal Migration

The Algerian and Tunisian delegations during a meeting to address the risks at the borders. (Algerian Ministry of Interior)
The Algerian and Tunisian delegations during a meeting to address the risks at the borders. (Algerian Ministry of Interior)
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Algerian-Tunisian Security Meeting Targets Smuggling and Illegal Migration

The Algerian and Tunisian delegations during a meeting to address the risks at the borders. (Algerian Ministry of Interior)
The Algerian and Tunisian delegations during a meeting to address the risks at the borders. (Algerian Ministry of Interior)

The first session of the bilateral commission for the promotion and development of the Algerian-Tunisian border regions kicked off Monday in Algiers to discuss a strategy to develop shared border regions of the two North African nations.

Co-chaired by Algerian Interior Minister Brahim Merad and his Tunisian counterpart Kamel Feki, the session unfolded with a commitment to fortifying shared border areas in the face of armed individuals, smugglers, and illegal migration.

Addressing the session's opening, Merad highlighted the focus on realizing partnership opportunities and maximizing available potential in the border area.

He emphasized the establishment of a bilateral cooperation mechanism as a tangible outcome of what he termed "fruitful cooperation on all levels."

The minister pointed to discussions in 2021 between Presidents Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Kais Saied, where issues related to border region development and the mitigation of threats were extensively deliberated.

The Algerian minister underscored the ongoing efforts directed at implementing diverse development programs, with a strategic objective to alleviate disparities and address imbalances in the border regions.

Merad detailed government-launched initiatives for development projects in the border region, emphasizing the need to enhance conditions for travelers at the joint nine border crossings, which serve as active trading hubs.

Also, he called for reinforced epidemiological monitoring along the border to address new pandemics and ensure preparedness against emerging security challenges, particularly in the context of illegal migration.

The minister expressed anticipation that the meetings, attended by governors from southern states, would yield applicable recommendations that prioritize the aspirations and demands of residents in the southern region, ultimately contributing to economic and social development.

Of particular concern to Algeria is the smuggling of large quantities of subsidized gasoline to Tunisia, where its price is three times less.

Carnegie Middle East Center revealed in a study published in 2020 that “from the perspective of local authorities, smuggling functions as a safety valve that relieves some of the economic pressure felt by the inhabitants of Algeria’s neglected eastern provinces.” Moreover, smugglers enhance the security services’ efforts to keep the dreaded triple threat of drugs, weapons, and militants at bay.

“For communities of the borderlands, smuggling contraband into and out of Tunisia presents one of the precious few job opportunities in a region otherwise characterized by unemployment. The activity takes place on such a large scale that it has created a parallel illegal economy,” the Center confirmed.

“The products smuggled from Algeria into Tunisia include gasoline, livestock (especially sheep), auto parts, copper, electronics manufactured by the Algerian brand Condor, perfume, cosmetics, yogurt, powdered milk, and potatoes.”

The study revealed that a gasoline smuggler earns between $150 and $300 per day - and this activity accounts for 75 percent of the economic activity in the region.

“Were the state to clamp down on smugglers, borderland communities would feel even more alienated and might grow restive,” the Center noted, adding that “such smugglers might fall prey to the enticements of jihadis—who they have thus far shunned—and take up work transporting them and their weapons back and forth across the border.”



Sudan Army Surrounds Khartoum Airport and Nearby Areas 

A fighter loyal to the army patrols a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
A fighter loyal to the army patrols a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Army Surrounds Khartoum Airport and Nearby Areas 

A fighter loyal to the army patrols a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
A fighter loyal to the army patrols a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)

The Sudanese army is encircling Khartoum airport and surrounding areas, two military sources told Reuters on Wednesday, marking another gain in its two-year-old war with a rival armed group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Separately, Sudan's army said in a statement it had taken control of the Tiba al-Hassanab camp in Jabal Awliya, describing this as the RSF's main base in central Sudan and its last stronghold in Khartoum.

The army had long been on the back foot in a conflict that threatens to partition the country and has caused a humanitarian disaster. But it has recently made gains and has retaken territory from the RSF in the center of the country.

The army seized control of the presidential palace in downtown Khartoum on Friday.

Witnesses said on Wednesday that RSF had mainly stationed its forces in southern Khartoum to secure their withdrawal from the capital via bridges to the neighboring city of Omdurman.

The UN calls the situation in Sudan the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with famine in several locations and disease across the country of 50 million people.

The war erupted two years ago as Sudan was planning a transition to democratic rule.

The army and RSF had joined forces after forcing Omar al-Bashir from power in 2019 and later in ousting the civilian leadership.