Algeria on Wednesday opened one of its border crossings with Libya – following a 28-month closure – to allow humanitarian supplies to reach an isolated town in Libya's southwest, according to a local Libyan official.
"Algeria decided to reopen the border in order to provide the southwestern town of Ghat with foodstuffs and other supplies," Ahmed Mohamed Hema, a member of Ghat's local council, told Anadolu Agency.
The road to Ghat has also been closed recently due to tribal conflicts in the nearby town of Ubari.
Earlier this week, Algerian authorities had announced that the border with Libya would be temporarily reopened to allow Libyan nationals to enter Algeria for humanitarian reasons.
In mid-2013, Algeria sealed its borders with the fractious North African country due to what it described at the time as "terrorist activity and arms smuggling from Libya".
Since the ouster and death of strongman Muammar Gaddafi in late 2011, Libya has been dogged by lawlessness and frequent clashes between rival groups that have left thousands dead and injured. - Libya
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