After the suspension of trade movement between Egypt and Libya via Sallum border crossing for about four weeks, the borders were finally reopened yesterday. Talks between tribal chiefs and elders and wisemen of both sides bore fruit, concluding a deal to effect smooth cross-border traffic for two months without visa. The problem started when the Libyan authorities denied Egyptian citizens and truck-drivers entry unless they had obtained prior visa. The stranded trucks on the western borders had caused tension in relations, prompting angry protests by Matruh Bedouin, who were traditionally exempted from entry visas. A memo submitted by the Egyptian Industrialists Society to Prime Minister Hisham Qandil had urged swift official intervention. The memo indicated that the daily losses being incurred due to the damage of foodstuff cargoes were estimated at around US$20 million. The problem of the accumulated trucks on the western Egyptian borders had roused the fear of exporters over the possibility of losing one of the largest markets for Egyptian products. Under the agreement the immediate and unconditional movement of goods and individuals would be temporary until a joint committee worked out transition rules, satisfactory to both sides. The state of confusion on the outskirts of Mersa Matruh and in the border city of Sallum in the past few weeks spoke for itself, where hundreds of heavy transport vehicles were backed up, parked at the side of the road leading up to the Sallum plateau. The North Coast desert highway had also witnessed the heavy traffic of trucks, whose drivers decided to return to Alexandria and go back to the manufacturers and consignors to unload cargoes, especially perishable goods before they went rotten. Some other trucks loaded with building material, such as iron rebars and marble, had the option to wait for the green light to cross the borders. Last week the army had to intervene to open the way for the return of about 600 trucks that were stuck in Sallum. Sallum which is l54 kilometres from Tobruk in Libya is essentially a trading centre, where a large portion of its Bedouin community rely for their living on the transport of goods to and from the borders. Tewfiq Mahmoud, one of the senior citizens of Sallum told Al-Akhbar Arabic daily that the people in this border area have well established social kinship relations with Libyan tribes. “The Awlad Ali tribe with its 30 clans is divided between Egypt and Libya which makes relations with Libyan counterparts very special." The Awlad Ali on the Egyptian side had shown full support for their brethren in Libya during their revolution against Muammar Gaddafi back in February 20ll.
