Tunisians, like many around the globe, began to see modern jihad as a means to achieve political and religious goals in the 1980s, prompted by opposition to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. It was there that Tunisian terrorist Seifallah Ben Hussein (nom de guerre Abou Iyadh) cut his teeth; he would go on to become one of the top lieutenants in al Qaeda."Terrorism is bigger than the Tunisian police. These people have weapons we can't even dream of. The ideology itself is bigger than the wall they are trying to build." —a Ben Gardane university student
Tunisia is setting up barriers, watchtowers, and moats along its Libyan border to prevent the infiltration of arms and terrorists. Photos by Fredrik Naumann/Panos Pictures
Most security experts and residents of Ben Gardane agree that the wall will decrease the amount of goods crossing into Tunisia. For citizens living on the border, that's not good news. As I walked around the town, eyes narrowed at me from under baseball caps, arms were crossed, and answers were terse. People were tired, suspicious, and frustrated. One young shopkeeper, tipped back in a desk chair, looked at the wall as he told me that "the decision to build this wall will not only be catastrophic, it will literally kill the economy in the region… The young people here have no hope, no future, no education, no social leverage, which narrows down their aspirations and leaves the souq as their only source of living.""Terrorists tend to fly first-class into the country where they want to be." —Karim Mezran, Atlantic Council analyst
While thousands have fled unrest in Libya, aid workers have said that not many people crossed land borders into Tunisia in 2014
Some experts believe border walls will do little to prevent extremists from entering the country, as many are not crossing at border posts like Ras Adjir