The amount of fuel smuggled from Libya to Tunisia is estimated at 500 million liters annually, equivalent to 17 percent of the Libyan state budget, said Abdullah Sy, an economist at the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Department.
In a study prepared by the World Bank on Tunisia and Libya, Sy said Tunisia is losing about 800 million dollars a year as a result of the crisis in Libya and the poor investment between the two countries.
The volume of trade between Libya and Tunisia has decreased significantly and is witnessing a contraction, especially after the closure of the Ras Ajdir border crossing between the two countries, which is considered a lifeline to the Tunisian south.