Re-opening the Tunisian-Algerian land borders (video)

The Tunisian and Algerian authorities reopened the land borders between them today, Friday, after a closure of more than two years due to the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Passengers from both sides began crossing at a normal pace from the Tabarka crossing, northwest of Tunisia.

A large sign was placed at the "Malloula" border crossing in Tabarka, reading "Long live the Algerian-Tunisian brotherhood."

About one million Algerians, most of them tourists, are expected to arrive through nine border crossings between the two countries, according to the authorities.

The decision to reopen the border was announced by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied during the celebration of Algeria's Independence Day on July 5th.

The Tunisian authorities consider the “Malloula” border crossing in Tabarka to be the most important, and in 2019 about 25% of the total arrivals from Algeria to Tunisia crossed it.

Customs agents are monitoring the passenger document centers, including documents that prove receiving the vaccine against Covid-19.

In 2019, about three million Algerians visited Tunisia, who came for tourism and treatment, as well as to visit their relatives and families.

In the year 2019, Tunisian tourism recorded a remarkable movement following a stagnation that lasted for years. Algerians constituted a third of the incoming tourists, numbering nearly 9 million, as between 16 and 17 thousand Algerians crossed from the border crossing "Maloula" in Tabarka.

Algerian tourists often go to tourist areas such as Sousse and Hammamet (east).

The land border between the two countries has been closed since 2020, and only emergency cases and goods are allowed to cross.

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