Migrants rescued from desert borderlands in Tunisia
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Sulaiman
- . July 13, 2023
- . Update: July 13, 2023 8:50 pm
More than 600 migrants are rescued from the desert borderlands in Tunisia, according to the Red Crescent. Abdellatif Chabou, president of the Tunisian Red Crescent, has confirmed that migrants are being sheltered and given humanitarian aid.
Also Read – Rights group urges Tunisia to stop expulsions of African migrants
Earlier, migrants were forced out of Tunisia’s port of Sfax to the desert borderlands over disputes between migrants and residents. Reportedly, a citizen in Tunisia was also killed because of the violence. Tunisians accused migrants of behaving badly, while migrants accused residents of being racist.
In recent months, various migrants came to the port of Sfax, Tunisia, which led to an unprecedented migration crisis for Tunisia. According to Tunisia’s National Guard, around 13,000 migrants were returned to shore between January and March 2023.
Sfax is a departure point for migrants from war-torn countries, who wish to travel to Europe. Many migrants forced to leave Sfax were living in a harsh condition. They were left without water or food in the Ras Jedir, the main border between Tunisia and Libya.
Reportedly, the Tunisian Red Crescent had provided shelter to 630 migrants between Sunday and Monday. The Tunisian Red Crescent also brought 400 mattresses from Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, for migrants.
Earlier this month, Tunisian authorities sent hundreds of migrants from Sfax to the border near Libya. The authorities expelled migrants from Sfax.
According to Human Rights Watch, most migrants were from Ivorian, Malian, Guinean, Chadian, Sudanese, and Senegalese nationalities.
Lauren Seibert, a researcher in the Refugee and Migrant Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, slammed Tunisia after it expelled migrants from Sfax. Lauren Seibert said, “Not only is it unconscionable to abuse people and abandon them in the desert, but collective expulsions violate international law.”
Also Read – EU leaders presses Tunisia in bid to stem Med migrant flow
The Alarm Phone organization, a self-organized hotline for refugees in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, also started providing aid to migrants in Tunisia.
