Tunisia has announced plans to build a wall along its border with Libya to counter the threat from jihadist militants.
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The wall would comprise a long trench and sand fortification stretching inland from the Mediterranean, reported by reports.
The move comes days after a Islamist militant killed 38 people – mostly British holidaymakers – on a beach in the Tunisian resort of Sousse.
Habib Essid, addressing parliament, said the fears justify the state of emergency declared after a second deadly attack on tourists in three months.
In March, two gunmen killed 22 people at the renowned Bardo museum in Tunis.
Tunisia has taken pains to secure its borders with its neighbours, especially since an increase in violence in Libya, where two rival governments allied to armed groups are fighting for supremacy in the midst of gains by Islamic State.
Libya has struggled to contain the outbreak in violent insurgent movements since the overthrow of ex- ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Essid told parliamentarians on Wednesday authorities believe there are terror plots in the works aimed at “killing as many people as possible”, creating instability and destroying the country’s economy, The Associated Press reported.
Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi conducted his first state visit to key ally France in April, with security issues at the top of the agenda. Both the incidents targeted the tourism sector, a major part of the country’s economy that accounts for about 15 percent of its GDP.
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The industry has been trying to recover since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, which began in Tunisia and brought an end to the 24-year rule of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. A number of ISIL cells also operate in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other locations across the Middle East and North Africa. It was the first to hold a multi-party, democratic election and one of the only nations not to descend into chaos.
