Migrant Rights: Mass expulsions and arbitrary arrests in Tunisia

The increased number of migrants has led to closer scrutiny over these groups in Tunisia, as UNHCR reports confirm that nearly 97000 people have crossed the Mediterranean from Tunisia to Italy in 2023. Estimations show that there are approximately between 20000 and 50000 Sub-Saharan migrants in the country.

Migration activists have expressed their concerns about mass expulsions and arbitrary arrests in Tunisia, leading to human rights violations and abuses against Sub-Saharan African migrants. The Tunisian government and security forces have been accused of systematic abuses against refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants while seeking to repress migrants at the expense of humanitarian concerns.

The increased number of migrants has led to closer scrutiny over these groups in Tunisia, as UNHCR reports confirm that nearly 97000 people have crossed the Mediterranean from Tunisia to Italy in 2023. Estimations show that there are approximately between 20000 and 50000 Sub-Saharan migrants in the country.

The abuses are not limited to migrants entering Tunisia with no documents but also extend to refugees, students, and workers from Sub-Saharan Africa, as highlighted by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights. Reports also show that the conditions have become especially more dreadful around the borders of Tunisia with Libya and Algeria, with the city of Sfax experiencing a critical situation, including arbitrary arrests, violence, property destruction, and many more humanitarian issues, as a common stopover point for migrants who seek to cross the Mediterranean.

Large-scale migrant expulsions from Sfax to desert regions in these borders started in July after a Tunisian man lost his life in a fight involving several migrants. Deporting migrants into the desert regardless of weather conditions or keeping them in detention centers run by armed groups in the Algerian and Libyan borders are undeniable instances of violations of human rights.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights has demanded the government to put an end to the deportations while providing migrants safe refuge and updating laws to give those with no papers some kind of legal status. Intimidation of vulnerable groups and discrimination cannot lead to sovereignty, while respecting dignity, rights, and freedoms of all humans can be realized through national policies seeking to make the world a better place for every single individual.

References
https://www.arabnews.com/tags/tunisia
https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/09/tunisian-group-accuses-authorities-of-mass-expulsions-of-migrants-from-sub-saharan-africa/
https://www.infomigrants.net/ar/post/54385/tunisia-mass-expulsions-and-abuse-of-migrants-continue