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Some 300 West African migrants were set to leave Tunisia on repatriation flights, fearful of a wave of violence. Tunisian President Kais Saied delivered a controversial tirade last month on the migrants, urging the authorities to take urgent measures to tackle irregular migration
Some 300 West African migrants were set to leave Tunisia on repatriation flights, fearful of a wave of violence. Tunisian President Kais Saied delivered a controversial tirade last month on the migrants, urging the authorities to take urgent measures to tackle irregular migration. He said that there was evidence of a criminal plot underway to change Tunisia’s demographic profile.
According to the president, migrants were behind most crimes in the North African country. This was followed by a spate of evictions and physical attacks against the migrant community. The African Union expressed deep shock and concern about the developments. Following this outburst, governments in sub-Saharan Africa are organising the repatriation of hundreds of their citizens living in Tunisia, mostly students pursuing their studies.
The first group of 50 Guineans was flown home recently. Ivory Coast and Mali prepared to repatriate a combined 295 of their citizens on special flights. A total of 1,100 Ivorians have applied to be repatriated from Tunisia, according to sources.
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It is estimated that there are around 21,000 undocumented migrants from other parts of Africa in Tunisia. The country has a population of 12 million. The Ivorian community numbers around 7,000 people. Guineans were among the first group to be repatriated recently.
