Tunisian authorities have expelled hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants from the port of Sfax, a move that comes in the wake of their displacement from their homes during the unrest in July, according to a rights group.
Romdane Ben Amor, the spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) non-government organisation, reported that security forces evacuated a square in the centre of Sfax on Sunday, where approximately 500 migrants had gathered. He noted that these migrants were subsequently dispersed in small groups towards rural areas and other towns.
Tunisia has recently intensified its crackdown on illegal migrants, the majority of whom hail from sub-Saharan African nations. Authorities have reported the arrest of approximately 200 migrants who were allegedly preparing to make the clandestine boat trip to Europe.
Tunisia serves as a significant transit point for migrants and asylum-seekers embarking on perilous sea journeys in pursuit of a better life within the European Union.
Tensions escalated in Tunisia’s second city, Sfax, following the killing of a Tunisian man on July 3, which resulted from an altercation with migrants. Humanitarian sources have indicated that at least 2,000 sub-Saharan Africans were either expelled or forcibly relocated by Tunisian security forces to desert regions bordering Libya and Algeria.
Xenophobic attacks targeting black African migrants and students surged after President Kais Saied delivered an incendiary speech in February. In his address, he alleged that “hordes” of illegal migrants were contributing to crime and posing a demographic threat to the predominantly Arab North African nation. Subsequently, hundreds of migrants lost their jobs and housing.
In July, at least 27 people lost their lives, with an additional 73 listed as missing after being expelled into desert areas bordering Libya.