The General Administration of the Tunisian National Guard highlighted that 2,500 Sub-Saharan Africans voluntarily returned to their countries of origin since the start of 2024.
This development is part of a strategic plan implemented to facilitate the repatriation of irregular migrants, which has seen considerable progress this year.
According to the administration, the most recent flight, destined for an unnamed African country on 9 May 2024, carried 166 migrants.
These individuals had approached security headquarters—including police and national guards—seeking assistance and intervention from migration organizations to facilitate their return.
The General Administration of the National Guard emphasized the three-fold coordination process in these voluntary returns.
The process starts with reception and registration by security units, followed by liaising with the International Organization for Migration to ease the return process, and finally, coordinating with border and foreign police to schedule flights.
This systematic approach highlights the country’s commitment to humane and organized management of migration flows, focusing on respect for the rights of migrants and effective collaboration with international bodies.
Tunisian President, Qais Saied, described the influx of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa into the country as “unnatural,” calling for a “different approach” to address the situation during a National Security Council meeting.
Saied stated during the meeting, streamed on the Tunisian Presidency’s official Facebook page, that hundreds enter the country daily, with 400 migrants repatriated on Monday alone from the eastern border adjacent to Libya.
Tunisia has witnessed a significant influx of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries for the past two to three years, aiming to reach the Italian coast and onwards to European Union countries in search of better opportunities.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) recorded a record surge in migrant flows along Tunisia’s coast in 2023, accounting for two-thirds of those reaching the Italian islands, totalling over 150,000.
