International organizations call to stop the expulsion of sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia

First modification: 07/09/2023 – 02:19

A call to action to stop the collective expulsion of sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia, an alert that Human Rights Watch (HRW) launched this week to the government of the North African nation.

A response to the wave of violence in the Tunisian city of Sfax, where residents complain about alleged misbehavior by migrants, while migrants allege racist harassment. As a result of the clashes in recent days, a local citizen was killed.

Following the latest episodes, hundreds of people seeking a better life have been relocated to desolate desert sites on the Tunisian-Libyan border. Another dozen were seen boarding trains to flee the violence, according to the Reuters news agency, citing local human rights groups.

The nationalities of those trying to reach the old continent include Cameroonians, Guineans, Malians, Sudanese, Chadians, Senegalese and Ivorians, among others. The group included at least three pregnant women and about 29 minors.

HRW migrant and refugee rights expert Lauren Seibert said that “Not only is it inconceivable to abuse people and leave them in the desert, but collective expulsions violate international law”. This body estimates some 700 expelled to a remote border area, completely militarized.

And it is that, in recent months, thousands of undocumented people have arrived in Sfax, the second city of Tunisia, to leave for Europe by boat. These trips are organized by human traffickers who charge large sums of money.

In this context, the European bloc puts pressure on the shoulders of the Tunisian government to stop the wave of attempts at illegal exits.

Given this mandate, President Kaïs Said, quoted by Reuters, has also stressed that he will not accept the formation of illegal immigrant settlements and also stressed that his country will not become a border guard.

It is not the first time that Said has shown glimpses of xenophobia. Last February, the president was involved in a scandal for suing urgent measures to repress black Africans, claiming that they were part of a plot to erase the identity of Tunisia.

Europe and Tunisia hand in hand

According to the AP news agency, in the first quarter of this year alone, the Tunisian National Guard intercepted nearly 13,000 people trying to reach Europe. However, approximately 30,000 have reached European shores so far this year.

The position of Tunisia, which is going through a marked economic crisis, has the support of some leaders of the old continent. From the President of the European Commission, Ursula von del Leyen, to the Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who they have promised millions of euros to help the battered local economy if migrants are stopped.

Italy is only 150 kilometers away. At least 608 people have lost their lives or are reported missing in attempts to reach neighboring shores. More than 4,000 have reached their destination. It is presumed that a thousand of these are minors.

Tunisia is also the main escape door to Europe after the successive blockades on the coasts of nations such as Algeria, Morocco and Libya.

Another wake-up call for Tunisia

Human Rights Watch is not alone in criticizing the violence and expulsions of migrants in Tunisia. Earlier, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also called for an end to violence against sub-Saharan migrants. The call was made by the current president of the group, the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco.

“As the current acting president of ECOWAS, we are concerned and closely follow the situation of migrants in Sfax, Tunisia.”, expressed Sissoco. “We hope that the Tunisian authorities, as a country that shares the same continent, will put an end to this violence against our African brothers,” he concluded.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that of the 60,000 sub-Saharan citizens living in Tunisia, only between 10% and 15% have valid immigration status. Local NGOs demand that the Government legalize this group of people to, in part, stop the crisis.

With AP, EFE, Reuters and international media