Violence at the Ras Al-Jadirr Border led to the border crossing being closed by Tunisian authorities earlier today. The crossing has been overwhelmed in the last three days due in large part to the large Egyptian diaspora, who were recently advised to leave the country by their embassy. Egyptian refugees were again blamed for an incident where a group of migrants rushed the Tunisian side of the border. This led to officials firing weapons in the air to disperse the crowd and an immediate closure of the border.With the success of the protest against Ansar Al Sharia at the Jalaa Hospital in Benghazi, a group of protestors gathered in Martyrs’ Square, before heading down the Airport Road, in an attempt to reclaim the road from the militias. However, the group was turned back at the Ministry of Interior building by militia units. The protestors have since began organizing another attempt on social media overnight.In an article that I wrote alongside Richard Northern for the Atlantic Council today, I attempt to explain that a mediation process aligned with the new parliament and a new constitutional settlement, backed by the international community, offers any prospect of breaking the cycle of fear and violence in Libya:
A mediation process will not provide an instant solution. It may take time for the militias, who are wary of being sidelined, to accept that there can be no military victory and that they have more to gain through the political process. But the pressures of public opinion, exhaustion, and stalemate will tell eventually. By then, a concerted international mediation effort should stand ready to take advantage of the opening and facilitate a way forward.