This morning, Tunisian security authorities cleared several streets in the suburb of “La Marsa,” near the capital, of migrants and their tents, which have been set up for over a year near the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency.
Security forces employed cranes to dismantle the encampments of migrants, who primarily originate from sub-Saharan African countries and have been protesting for over a year to demand regularization of their status and resettlement in a third country.
Hundreds of asylum seekers had set up tents in a public park and nearby streets of the affluent “La Marsa” suburb, criticizing international organizations for their slow processing of their cases.
There is currently no information available from the authorities regarding the relocation plans for these migrants.
Additionally, the city of Sfax, among other Tunisian cities, is experiencing a worsening crisis due to the significant influx of migrants living in makeshift tents while waiting for opportunities to cross the Mediterranean to the nearby Italian islands.
The International Organization for Migration stated that it has begun registering migrants in Sfax who wish to return voluntarily to their home countries through the “Voluntary Return and Reintegration” program.
Last April, Tunisia‘s security sources revealed the recent interception of operations smuggling large quantities of drugs and thousands of irregular migrants, mostly Africans.
Throughout 2023, security operations in Tunisia seized over 3 million narcotics tablets and kilograms of cocaine, alongside substantial amounts of cannabis and smuggled prohibited pills.
The country has transitioned from being a transit point to a region of drug promotion and consumption.
