The Tunisian authorities temporarily shut down the Melloula border post in the Tabarka (Jenouba) delegation on Wednesday evening, due to the spread of two fires which have broken out over the past two days in the forest near the post.
As a security measure, the authorities switched entry and exit traffic to the Babouch post in the Ain Drahem delegation pending containment of the fire by the civil protection firefighters.
Jendouba Governor Samir Kouka told TAP that the decision to close the border crossing is intended to protect citizens and the border post from the fire, which has ravaged large areas of the Melloula forest.
The Melloula border crossing is one of the main border crossings used by Algerian visitors, with an annual average of more than 1 million 200 thousand visitors, Local Commissioner for Tourism in Tabarka Issa Marouni said.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse