By Tarek Amara
TUNIS () – Tunisian officials have taken down temporary shelters accommodating 7,000 Sub-Saharan African migrants and started forcing their deportation, according to a high-ranking official who spoke on Saturday. The nation is currently dealing with an unparalleled migration crisis.
HousSEM EDDINE JEBABLI, who works with the National Guard, stated that several migrants were detained due to violent behavior amid the current operation. He mentioned that their compulsory deportation started on Friday evening, and officials are additionally aiming to facilitate voluntary deportations for thousands additional individuals.
He mentioned that a considerable number of people were forcefully deported, though he didn't specify exactly how many. Additionally, he stated that various bladed weapons such as knives and swords had been confiscated.
The Tunisian government stated that approximately 20,000 migrants reside in tents within the forests of southern towns like Amra and Jbeniana, following the prevention by authorities of their travel across the Mediterranean.
Immigrants have often had conflicts with locals, who wish for them to be expelled from their region.
Regional human rights organizations have condemned the government, alleging they promoted racially charged statements, stirred up hostility towards immigrants, and criticized a suppression effort that resulted in the detention of advocates who supported African migrants.
In 2023, President Kais Saied stated that the influx of thousands of undocumented immigrants from Sub-Saharan African nations constituted a “plot to alter the nation’s population demographics.”
This led the African Union to denounce what it termed as Tunisia's "hateful rhetoric" towards migrants, a claim President Saied stated was unjustified.
Tunisia has earned praise from Italian authorities in recent months for its progress in stemming the flow of thousands of migrants from sub-Sahran Africa who are trying to reach Europe in boats.
(Reported by Tarek Amara; edited by Barbara Lewis)