It’s turning into one humanitarian crisis the series of expulsions of sub-Saharan migrants that the Tunisian authorities continue to abandon in the desert areas bordering the Libya and theAlgeria. According to humanitarian organizations, thousands of people are deported and left without water or food, including women and children. Tunisian president Kais Saied he harshly rejected the accusations of inhuman treatment of migrants, speaking of inferences “from colonial circles” who “sow discord through social networks transformed into propaganda tools to destabilize the country”. For days, in fact, photos and videos have been circulating that would testify to the harsh conditions of migrants expelled from Tunisia. But just as Saied lashes out with organizations like Human Rights Watchthe attention of the international media which show live images of the expellees on the southern shores of the Mediterranean and relaunch their testimonies.
The barrier erected between Tunisia and Libya to stem Islamic terrorism and trafficking between the two states dates back to 2016. It goes from the village of Ras Agedir on the Mediterranean coast and travels 200 kilometers to the city of Dehiba. A desert of sand and artificial canals which in recent days has turned into hell for thousands of sub-Saharans, including students and refugees, mostly expelled from the city of Sfax where for a week tension has risen between residents and foreigners, with the killing of a Tunisian last Monday. In the city, the main port of departure for migrants who take the sea to reach Italy, there are thousands of Africans of various nationalities displaced from their homes. Many denounce that they have been deprived of documents and money and that they don’t even have the money to buy water, as confirmed by supportive Tunisians interviewed by the French broadcaster France24 while distributing water and food. The country, grappling with a probable financial default which has already weakened the population, has seen the authorities, including President Saied, denounce in recent months the presence of sub-Saharan foreigners who are allegedly part of a plan to “Africanise” Tunisia. In an area like that of Sfax, intolerance has resulted in clashes and demonstrations by residents against migrants, who in many cases have fled by storming means of transport, while in the past months the number of people had already increased who decided to return to their country of origin precisely because of the climate created and denounce organizations such as the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rightsheavily fueled by the national media.
By the government’s own admission, the expulsion of at least 1,200 people “from the end of June to today” was confirmed in recent days. Tunisian Interior Minister Camel Feki and his Libyan counterpart Mustafa Trabelsi met yesterday to address together the problem of “illegal crossings” of migrants, and their respective foreign ministers reaffirmed their willingness to address the issue of sub-Saharan people on the border between the two states “in full compliance with the regulations in force in the two countries and in compliance with international laws and standards”. Quite different, however, the situation that was faced by the reporter of Al Jazeera, Malik Trainawhich reached the coastal area of Ras Agedir to meet and film the thousands of people expelled in the area and have been there for days now (video). “We had to drink the sea water,” one of them told the journalist, while behind him we see women with small children and injured people who need assistance. The Tunisian government has said it does not intend to let these people return. “We need an international solution: the countries of origin, transit and destination in Europe as well as international organizations must collaborate and finance us”, summed up the Tunisian deputy Moez Barkallah. Meanwhile, “the military beat the migrants and fired rifle shots into the air”, says the Human Rights Watch researcher, Lauren Seibert, which remains in direct contact with some of the expelled receiving information and videos. The same, the NGO denounces, is being done by the Libyan soldiers to prevent them from entering Libya. With the result that thousands remain stranded in this no man’s land. “We have asked Tunisia to immediately stop the collective expulsions to the deserted areas bordering Libya and Algeria, but to date we have not been given any response or official reasoning,” Seibert said.
Meanwhile in Italy the count of landings has exceeded quota 70 mila, where more than half are people who left from Tunisia and in particular from Sfax. So in the last 24 hours, with the Coast Guard having rescued more than 150 people for four different landings in Lampedusa. Most from Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Guinea. But from Tunisia, reiterated the chief prosecutor of Agrigento Salvatore Vella, thousands of Tunisians continue to arrive, demonstrating the country’s instability. Tunis has not yet cleared the negotiation with International Monetary Fund for a 1.75 billion bailout financial plan due to reforms and cuts to state subsidies that Saied does not accept, and the current tensions have also forced the European Commission to make some distinctions by reiterating that respect for human rights is a fundamental condition for reaching the signature of the memorandum between the EU and Tunisia, which should also implement collaboration on the issue of migrants. An agreement on which Italy is aiming above all. But the events of the last few weeks place a serious threat on the bet of the Meloni government for what according to him should be a “model agreement”. Meanwhile it appears that the security forces of Rabbia remote area in far southeastern Libya, stopped intercepting migrants heading for Libyan Mediterranean shores after the fuga dal Sudanesewhere there is a civil war going on. The head official of the Rabiana Security Directorate told the New Agency that “the local security forces do not have the skills, funds or housing necessary to deal with this flow of displaced people arriving from Sudan”. Denouncing that “the authorities of Tripoli they stopped disbursing funds, which is why the local security forces themselves stopped intercepting the migrants.” He underlines that he went to Tripoli more than once “to obtain support, without however having obtained additional forces”.