Human Rights Watch (HRW) is urged Tunisian authorities to put an end to the “mass expulsion” of African migrants and their relocation to a remote desert area near the Libyan border.
Hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries find themselves in dire conditions in a desert area in southern Tunisia, after being expelled from the city of Sfax in eastern Tunisia following clashes with locals demanding their departure, as reported by France Press.
Violence against these migrants escalated on Tuesday and Wednesday after one of them was involved in the killing of a city resident during the clashes.
In a statement, the organization noted that “Tunisian security forces have mass expelled several hundred African migrants and asylum seekers, including children and pregnant women, since July 2nd to an isolated, military-controlled region near the Tunisian-Libyan border.”
The organization added that “many people reported being subjected to violence by authorities during their arrest or deportation.”
Laurie Sibert, a researcher in refugee rights within the organization, called on the Tunisian government in the statement to “stop mass expulsions and allow urgent humanitarian aid” to reach these migrants who “have little food and lack medical assistance.”
The organization relayed testimonies from migrants confirming that “several people died or were killed in the border region between July 2nd and 5th” and according to them, “they were beaten or shot at by the Tunisian military or national guard,” according to the statement issued by Human Rights Watch, which has not been able to confirm these allegations due to lack of access to the area.
Moreover, the organization urged Tunisia to “investigate the security forces involved in the violations and bring them to justice.”
The researcher added that “African migrants and asylum seekers, including children, have not been able to leave the dangerous border area and find food, medical care, and safety… There is no time to waste.”
Hate speech against irregular migrants has been on the rise since Tunisian President Kais Saied condemned illegal migration last February, considering it a demographic threat to his country.
