A Tunisian National Security Council official stated at a Friday evening meeting that immigrants residing unlawfully in Tunisia received transfers amounting to three billion dinars (approximately one billion dollars) from Sub-Saharan African countries during the first half of 2023.
The Tunisian President, Kais Saied, who chaired the meeting, expressed shock at the figure and suggested that Tunisia is a target.
Saied has fiercely criticized this year’s wave of illegal migration from Sub-Saharan Africa to his country. In a speech lambasted by human rights groups, he stated that this is a conspiracy aimed at altering Tunisia’s demographic structure.
The volume of the transfers declared at the National Security Council surpasses the revenues of Tunisia’s vital tourism industry for the first half of the year, which stood at 2.2 billion dinars.
In recent months, thousands of migrants have flowed unlawfully into Sfax with the aim of setting off to Europe in boats operated by human traffickers, leading to an unprecedented migration crisis in Tunisia.
Earlier this month, Tunisia moved hundreds of immigrants to a desert area along the border with Libya following days of violence in the city of Sfax between locals and migrants. International and local human rights groups accused authorities of endangering migrant lives, after which the government transferred migrants to shelters in two towns a few days ago.
