Hundreds of Tunisians gathered on Saturday in Sfax, central Tunisia, to demand the “rapid” evacuation of thousands of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa residing in the region, as reported by a correspondent from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
However, this call has met with disapproval and condemnation from numerous human rights groups, which advocate for a humane approach to the migration and refugee issues.
The demonstrators marched through the center of El Amra, located approximately 40 kilometers north of the state center, highlighting the untenable situation in the small city.
Parliamentary Deputy Tariq Mehdi expressed that “the situation in El Amra is unacceptable, and the authorities must find a solution,” criticizing the large number of migrants in the city.
In mid-September, thousands of migrants set up temporary shelters in olive groves near Sfax after being evicted from the city center. These individuals, including those waiting for an opportunity to clandestinely migrate to Italy from beaches just 15 kilometers away, have made Tunisia, alongside Libya, a main departure point for irregular migrants heading to Italy.
In recent weeks, police destroyed several shelters in various camps following complaints from local residents. Mohamed Bakri, a local who provides food aid to the migrants, commented, “Removing the tents is not a solution; the state needs to find a real solution. Bringing them to El Amra was never a solution in the first place.”
On Friday, hundreds of migrants were forcibly evacuated from camps established in front of United Nations agency headquarters in Tunis and were “deported to the Algerian border,” according to the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.
The Ministry of the Interior released a statement on Friday evening discussing “security operations” aimed at “addressing various public security breaches.”
During these “security operations,” hundreds of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa were forcibly removed from camps in central Tunis and then “deported,” a spokesperson for a non-governmental organization stated.
According to Ramadan Ben Omar from the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, “At least 300 migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers as well as women and children, were forcibly evacuated last night.”
The police cleared three temporary camps that had been set up since last summer in front of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration offices, as well as in a park in the Lake area of Tunis. The migrants were then moved “toward the Algerian border,” based on various testimonies gathered by the organization.
Between 500 and 700 people had been living in these temporary camps after many were evicted from their homes and jobs in the months following a speech by President Kais Saied in February 2023.
In it, he criticized the arrival of “hordes of illegal migrants” from Sub-Saharan Africa as part of a “conspiracy to change the demographic makeup” of the country.
Without confirming the evictions, the Ministry of the Interior stated that the “security operations” were intended to address attacks “on public security and to protect public and private property.”
The ministry also published a video showing police officers removing migrants from tents, demolishing some, and sanitation workers cleaning up a park. In another clip, dozens of migrants were shown walking in close lines in the middle of the night down a street, heading towards an unknown destination under strict police surveillance.
