Algeria–Libya 2

SOVEREIGN
LIMITS
Last revised: August 2018

Commonly used abbreviations:

ETRS-89 European Terrestrial Reference System 1989

IBRU International Boundaries Research Unit
IBS International Boundary Study
ICJ International Court of Justice
km kilometers
LBT land boundary terminus
LNTS League of Nations Treaty Series
NAD-27 1927 North American Datum
NAD-83 1983 North American Datum
PCA Permanent Court of Arbitration
SAD-56 1956 Provisional South American Datum
SAD-69 1969 South American Datum
SMB maritime boundary starting point
UKTO United Kingdom Treaties Online
UNTC United Nations Treaty Collection
UTM Universal Transverse Mercator
WFS web feature service
WGS-84 World Geodetic System 1984
WMS web map service

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 Algeria–Libya 3

Summary

The almost 1,000 km-long desert boundary between Algeria and Libya has been delimited
and demarcated by agreement from the tripoint with Tunisia in the north to the town of
Ghat in the south. The southernmost third of the boundary, from Ghat southeastwards
through the virtually-uninhabited central Sahara desert to the tripoint with Niger, was only
delimited in the most general terms by the former colonial powers of France and Italy, and its
alignment remains in question between Algeria and Libya today.

Timeline

• 19 May 1910: France and the Ottoman Empire sign a convention that delimits the
boundary between Fort-Saint and Gadamis, which forms a small section of the overall
boundary separating the French and Turkish possessions in north Africa.
• 17–26 February 1911: The portion of the boundary extending south from Fort-Saint in
Tunisia to BP (boundary point) 233 located southwest of Gadamis was demarcated by
French and Ottoman powers.
• 1912 to 1942: Libya was occupied as a colony of Italy.
• 12 September 1919: Exchange of Notes between France and Italy following World War
I vaguely delimited the boundary from Ghat to the tripoint with Niger. It is this portion
that is currently disputed.
• 24 December 1951: Libya becomes an independent state.
• 10 August 1955: The Franco–Libyan Peace Treaty confirmed the previously established
boundary line between Libya and other French possessions in Africa.
• 26 December 1956: An exchange of letters between France and Libya provided
demarcation details from Gadamis in the north to Ghat in the south.
• 3 July 1962: Algeria gained independence.
• 26 December 1991–8 February 2002: Algerian Civil War between the Algerian
government and Islamic rebel groups.
• 15 February–23 October 2011: Libyan Civil War.
• 2011: Talks aimed at resolving the disagreements over the alignment of the southern
section of the boundary are suspended following the outbreak of the Libyan Civil War
and have not yet resumed.

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 Algeria–Libya 4

Boundary Notes

• The boundary between Algeria and Libya extends for almost 1000 km and runs, for the
most part, in a north-south direction from the tripoint with Tunisia to the tripoint with
Niger.
• The border follows the alignment of the French–Ottoman and then French–Italian
colonial boundary that separated their possessions in northern Africa.
• The northern two-thirds of the boundary were demarcated and defined in detail by
colonial powers.
• The southern third of the boundary, from Ghat to the tripoint with Niger, is disputed. It
is difficult to locate official governmental positions or third party analyses of the conflict.
Instability in both States and tribal violence in southern Libya has made determining the
precise location of claims even more complicated (see Disputed Area below).
• In 2014, Algeria closed most of its borders, except with Tunisia, for security reasons, and
in 2016, they started planning for construction of a wall along its border with Libya.
• North Africa Post, “Algeria’s Closed Border Syndrome,” 5 August 2017; Middle
East Monitor, “Algeria to build security wall along Libya border,” 2 September
2016.
• Algeria has a mapping service from which data and maps are available for purchase:
http://www.inct.mdn.dz/site%20anglais/index.html.

© 2018, International Mapping. All rights reserved.

 Algeria–Libya 5

1910 Convention

Convention Relative to the Frontier between the Regency of Tunis and the Vilayet of
Tripoli
Franco–Turkish Convention or the Convention between the French Republic and the
Sublime Porte

19 May 1910

French Source: Ian Brownlie, “Libya–Tunisia,” in African Boundaries: A Legal and Diplomatic
Encyclopedia, 143–145.

English Source: United States, Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research,
Office of the Geographer, “Libya – Tunisia Boundary,” International Boundary Study, No. 121,
7 April 1972, 5.

• The Convention defined the extent of French and Ottoman possessions in North Africa,
and it mostly describes what is now the boundary between Libya and Tunisia.
• Only the end of Article 2 addresses the boundary between modern-day Algeria and
Libya.
• Article 3 called for demarcation which would be completed in 1911; the Record of this
kilometers from the government post of Djeneien, it shall turn south to Touil Ali Ben
demarcation was included in the France–Libya 1956 Exchange of Notes (see below).
Amar [Touil Ali Ben Ahmeur] and Zar [Bi'r Zar].

Passing between the two open wells of Zar, located in Siah El Mathel [Wadi Sayh,
The relevant portion
al Mathil], of the
it shall Convention
proceed states: [Bi'r al Mushayqiq], whose present well
toward Mechiguig
shall belong to Tripolitania, dividing the aquifer in such a way that the resources of
the region will be shared fairly between the two countries.

The boundary shall then proceed toward Ghadames [Ghudamis], following a line
halfway between the roads from Djeneien to Ghadames and from Nalout [Nalut] to
Ghadames. At the junction of those two roads, the line shall proceed toward
Ghadames, leaving the Sinaoun [Sinawan]-Mezezzem [Mujazzam]-Ghadames
portion of the road two kilometers inside Tripolitania. It shall then run along the
diversion channel joining the two salt marshes known as Sebkha El Melah [Sabkhat
al Mallahah] and Sebkha Mezzezzem [Sabkhat Mujazzam], following its northern
bank; it shall then turn west, then south, following the edge of the salt works at a
distance of one kilometer, and leaving the Sebkha El Melah in the town of
Ghadames.

The last section of the boundary shall turn south, to a point located 15 kilometers
south of the parallel of Ghadames.

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 Algeria–Libya 6

1911 Record

Record of the Demarcation of the Franco–Turkish Frontier in 1911

1 March 1911

Source: United Nations, United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 300, no. 4340, 290–293.

• The Record was attached to the 1956 Exchange of Notes. It mostly demarcates the
boundary between Libya and Tunisia.
• The northern portion of the Algeria–Libya boundary is also demarcated, which is from
Mark 221 to 233 in the Record.
• The Record also describes the demarcation process undertaken to define the boundary.

The relevant portion of the Record states:

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 Algeria–Libya 7

Source: The National Archives, UK, “Frontiere Tuniso-Tripolitaine (8 Feuilles) avec un tableau d’assemblage”

Figure 1. Sheet 8 from the Franco–Turkish Border Demarcation. This map shows the northern end of what is
today the Algeria–Libya boundary (from point 221 to point 233). The grid lines on the map follow the French
system of grads, placed at every ten degrees.

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 Algeria–Libya 8

1919 EoN

Exchange of Notes between France and Italy Recording an Agreement Respecting the
Frontier between Tripoli and the French Possessions in Africa, and the Regulation of
Certain Questions Affecting the Interests of France and Italy in Africa

12 September 1919

Source: Ian Brownlie, “Algeria–Libya,” in African Boundaries: A Legal and Diplomatic

Encyclopedia, 28–29; unofficial translation provided by International Mapping.

• After World War I, Italy gained control of former Ottoman territory and inherited the
1910 boundary with France.
• In addition to defining the border in vague and general terms, the Exchange of Notes
issued several mandates for transportation, trade, and other colonial rights.

The relevant portion of the Exchange of Notes states:

The oases of El-Barkat and Fehout are attributed to Italy. The caravan route that brings
Ghadames to Rhat via Titagsin, Inehoartan, Hassi-el-Misselan, Zouirat and Oued-Amasin,
the variant that passes through Tarz-Oulli, Oued-Tarat (Aoussedgim), Inehoartan, or other
variant to the West, which would be necessary to ensure good communication on Italian
territory at all times and particularly in the sections from Titagsin to Inehoartan and from
Hassi-el-Misselan to Oued-Amasin are also attributed to Italy. The route of the new border
between Tripolitania and Algeria west of this communication route will be established by
verification on the spot. From Rhat to Tummo, the border will be determined by the ridge of
the mountains which extend between these two localities, while attributing to Italy the lines
of direct communication between these same localities. The Italian government undertakes to
occupy as soon as possible the posts of Rhat and Ghadames.

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 Algeria–Libya 9

1955 Agreement

Treaty of Friendship and Good-Neighbourliness between the French Republic and the
United Kingdom of Libya

Signed: 10 August 1955

Entered into force: 20 February 1957

Source: United Nations, United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 1596, no. 27943, 151–297.

• The authentic texts of the document are French and Arabic, and the translation below
was done by the United Nations.
• The Agreement and series of attached documents represent a peace treaty and call for
cooperation, security, and a variety of other measures.
• Article 3 of the main Treaty calls for recognition of boundaries which are then
specifically defined in Annex I.
• Most of the relevant Agreements referred to in Annex I regarding the boundary apply to
other French–Libya borders.
• The only relevant documents listed are the 12 May 1910 Franco–Turkish
Convention (this Convention was actually signed on 19 May 1910; the typo
has been well noted by scholars, including those remarking on the Libya–Chad
ICJ case in International Law Reports, vol. 100, page 20) and the Franco–Italian
Agreement of 12 September 1919.
• The rest of the Agreement and attached documents call for cooperation on peace and
security and establish guidelines for working together.

The relevant portion of the Agreement states:

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 Algeria–Libya 10

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 Algeria–Libya 11

1956 EoN

Exchange of Letters Constituting an Agreement to Delimit the Franco–Libyan Frontier

between the Government of France and the Government of Libya

Signed: 26 December 1956

Entered into force on signature

Source: United Nations, United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 300, no. 4340, 263–295.

• The authentic texts of the document are French and Arabic, and the translation below
was done by the United Nations.
• The Exchange of Notes delimited the boundary between Ghat and Gadamis based on
the 1919 Franco–Italian Arrangement.
• The Record of Demarcation of the Franco–Turkish Frontier in 1911 is also included and
has demarcation information on the northern portion of the boundary near Gadamis (see
above).
• The three 1:200,000 maps and one of the 1:500,000 maps were included with the
submission to the UN.
• The southern section of the boundary, from Ghat to the tripoint with Niger, is not
described or mapped in this Agreement.

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 Algeria–Libya 12

The relevant portion of the Exchange of Letters states:

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 Algeria–Libya 13

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 Algeria–Libya 14

Source: UNTS, vol. 300, no. 4340

Figure 2. Excerpt from Treaty Map: Fort Charlet. This map shows the southern end of the boundary demarcated
in 1956. Notice that the boundary does not continue southwards from point T near Ghat/Rhat.

© 2018, International Mapping. All rights reserved.

 Algeria–Libya 16

Disputed Area

Southern Algeria–Libya Border Dispute

George Joffe, “Frontiers in North Africa: (a) The Ghat region,” Teach Mideast, 2002; Ronald
Bruce St John, Historical Dictionary of Libya, 5th ed., 125.

• The southernmost section of the border, from Ghat to the tripoint with Niger, was
defined vaguely in 1919 as following a ridge and leaving direct communication lines
between Ghat and Toummo to Italy.
• Additionally, Italy failed to occupy the area until the late 1920s, causing even
more confusion in possible claim lines.
• By 1955, the definition had been adjusted slightly to include several specific places
including Anay Pass and Point 1010. Whether or not these points correspond with the
1919 boundary description is unclear.
• There are other interpretations of the possible southern boundary which would give
Libya even more territory in the Acacus Mountains (Tradrart Acacus).
• The detailed demarcation of the border that was included with the 1956 Exchange of
Notes made no mention of the boundary south of Ghat (see Figure 2 above).

Safa Alharathy, “Ghat residents demand Algeria to open border,” The Libya Observer, 22
October 2017; Andrew McGregor, “The Strategic Topography of Southern Libya,” CTC
Sentinel, vol. 9. no. 5 (May 2016): 22; St John, Historical Dictionary of Libya, 125.

• Instability in Algeria and Libya has made locating official information on claims difficult.
• The border region in southern Libya is controlled by tribal forces rather than the
government.
• Violence and conflict along the border are commonplace, and it is difficult to sort out
information on tribal quarrels from those of the actual border dispute.
• There are also protests against Algeria’s closed borders.
• Algeria deploys military forces along the border, and Libya does not. The dispute has not
currently led to any kind of armed conflict, but there is the possibility for the issue to
further escalate the already unstable situation in the region.

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 Algeria–Libya 18

013 014
001
Block 3 Block 4
011 012
002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010
Block 1 Block 2

Block 4 Block 3
028 029
015
Block 3 Block 4 Block 3 Block 4
026 027
16 016 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024 025
Block 2 Block 1 Block 2
15 Block 1 Block 2 Block 1 Block 2

16 1

044 045
030 031 041 042 043
032 033 035 036 037 038 039 040
034

Block 3 Block 4
060 061
046 047 058 059
048 049 050 052 053 054 055 056 057
051 Block 1 Block 2

Block 3 Block 3 Block 4

062 077 078
063 064 065 074 075 076
066 067 068 069 070 072 073
Block 1 Block 2
071Block 2

079 080 081

Block 3
092 093 094
082 083 084 085 086 087 088 089 090 091
Block 1

Block 4
095 096
Block 3
109 110
097 098 099 100 105 106 107 108
101 102 103Block 4 104
Block 2 Block 1 Block 2

Block 1 Block 2

Block 3
111 112 113 125 126
114 115 116 122 123 124
117 118 119 120 121
Block 1 Block 2 Block 1

127 128 141 142

129 130 131 138 139 140
132 133 134 135 136 137

143 144 157 158

145 146 147 148 149 154 155 156
150 151 152 153

159
160 171 172 173
161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

174 175 185 186 187

176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184

195 196 197

188 189 190 191 192 193 194

200 201 202 203

198 199

205 206 207

204

INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES AS ILLUSTRATED HEREIN ARE NEITHER

FINAL NOR BINDING ON THE LIBYAN AUTHORITIES
208

Contract Area
Sirt 2 Cyrenaica 1 National Oil Corporation
Offshore 5 Murzuq 2 Exploration Department
Ghadames 2
Total 12 Contract Area (41 Blocks in 14 Areas)
Source: Libya, National Oil Corporation (NOC)

Figure 5. Oil Fields and Contract Areas Map. This NOC exploration map may represent Libya’s claim to the
more sinuous southern boundary. Notice the disclaimer regarding boundaries on the map being non-binding on
the Libyan authorities.

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 Algeria–Libya 19

References

Alharathy, Safa. “Ghat residents demand Algeria to open border.” The Libya Observer, 22
October 2017. https://www.libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/ghat-residents-demand-algeria-
open-border (accessed 29 June 2018).

Algeria, National Institute of Cartography and Remote Sensing. “Topographic Map, Scale
1:200,000, nouvelle edition.” Index Map. http://www.inct.mdn.dz/site%20anglais/
web_inct_sim/upload/carte_200.gif (accessed 29 June 2018).

Brownlie, Ian. “Algeria–Libya.” In African Boundaries: A Legal and Diplomatic Encyclopedia,

27–43. London: C. Hurst & Company, 1979.

———. “Libya–Tunisia.” In African Boundaries: A Legal and Diplomatic Encyclopedia, 141–

146. London: C. Hurst & Company, 1979.

Joffe, George. “Frontiers in North Africa: (a) The Ghat region.” Teach Mideast, 2002.
https://acc.teachmideast.org/texts.php?module_id=3&reading_id=119&sequence=7
(accessed 29 June 2018).

Lauterpacht, E., C.J. Greenwood, and A.G. Oppenheimer. International Law Reports, vol.
100. Cambridge: Grotius Publications, 1995.

Libya, National Oil Corporation. “Oil Fields and Contract Areas Map.” Temehu.com.
https://www.temehu.com/FreeDownloads/oil-and-gas/oil-fields-contract-areas-
libya-map.pdf (accessed 29 June 2018).

McGregor, Andrew. “The Strategic Topography of Southern Libya.” CTC Sentinel, vol.
9. no. 5 (May 2016): 21–26. https://ctc.usma.edu/app/uploads/2016/05/CTC-
SENTINEL_Vol9Iss514.pdf (accessed 29 June 2018).

Middle East Monitor. “Algeria to build security wall along Libya border.” Middle East Monitor,
2 September 2016. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160902-algeria-to-build-
security-wall-along-libya-border/ (accessed 29 June 2018).

The National Archives, United Kingdom. “Frontiere Tuniso-Tripolitaine (8 Feuilles) avec

un tableau d’assemblage.” 1911. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/
C3821108 (last accessed 26 June 2018).

North Africa Post. “Algeria’s Closed Border Syndrome.” North African Post, 5 August 2017.
http://northafricapost.com/19166-algerias-closed-border-syndrome.html (accessed
29 June 2018).

St John, Ronald Bruce. Historical Dictionary of Libya. 5th ed. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield,
2014.

© 2018, International Mapping. All rights reserved.

 Algeria–Libya 20

United Nations. “France and Libyan Arab Jamahiriya: Treaty of friendship and good-
neighbourliness.” 10 August 1955. In United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 1596, no.
27943, 151–297. New York: United Nations, 2001.

———. “France and Libya: Exchange of letters (with annexes) constituting an agreement
to delimit the Franco-Libyan frontier.” 26 December 1946. In United Nations Treaty
Series, vol. 300, no. 4340, 263–295. New York: United Nations, 1958.

United States, Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Office of the
Geographer. “Libya – Tunisia Boundary.” International Boundary Study, No. 121.
Washington, D.C.: 7 April 1972.

© 2018, International Mapping. All rights reserved.