A confidential UN report on human rights stated that Tunisian border forces apprehended migrants and handed them over to Libya, where they faced extortion, torture, and even killings, along with forced labor. Both countries play a significant role in the EU’s efforts to stem the flow of migrants from North Africa to Southern Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. The report, dated January 23, revealed that hundreds of migrants in Tunisia were arrested and deported to Libya during the second half of last year. Based on interviews with 18 previously detained individuals and evidence including photos and video clips of torture incidents in one facility, the report highlighted the systemic abuse migrants face, exacerbating issues of human rights violations already prevalent in Libya.
Libyan officials reportedly demand thousands of dollars in exchange for releasing some migrants. This situation benefits those exploiting the vulnerable, including human traffickers, as per the report. A UN spokesperson in Libya declined to comment on the report. Abdullah Bathily, then the senior UN official there, expressed grave concern about the dire situation faced by migrants and refugees in Libya, enduring human rights violations throughout their migration journey, on April 16th.
The latest UN report revealed a pattern where Tunisian border officials coordinate with their Libyan counterparts to transfer migrants either to detention centers in Zuwara or Gharyan, located on the Libyan side of the border. Migrants endure detention periods ranging from a few days to several weeks before being transferred to the Ain Zara detention center near Tripoli. The UN report noted that UN officials were consistently prevented by the Libyan Immigration Authority from accessing these sites. Migrants interviewed for the UN report hailed from Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and South Sudan. Obtaining information from African migrants proved particularly challenging due to their deportation and limited communication. Visible signs of torture were evident on three of the interviewed migrants. Hundreds were reportedly crammed into overcrowded pens and cells, often with one usable toilet and no sanitation or ventilation. Allegations emerged at the Ain Zara facility that officials extorted migrants, demanding sums ranging from $2500 to $4000, depending on their nationalities, in exchange for their release.
The European Union announced last year that it would spend 800 million euros until 2024 in North Africa to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea. Immigration remains a major concern for voters in European Parliament elections held last week, which saw gains for far-right parties. In the first four months of this year, the number of migrants arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean Sea decreased by over 60% compared to the same period in 2023. Italian Prime Minister Giorga Meloni attributed the decline primarily to assistance from Tunisia and Libya.
However, human rights groups argue that the EU’s policy of outsourcing migration control to other countries in exchange for aid leads to violations and fails to address underlying issues.
Over the past month, the central Tunisian province of Sfax has witnessed frequent protests by locals demanding the rapid evacuation of thousands of undocumented migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa. Residents of areas such as Mzaratir, Amira, Louza, Jbéniana, and other agricultural regions in Sfax protested against attacks on their property by some migrants and the establishment of thousands of them in shelters and camps within olive fields and farms. Locals complained that they were unable to access their farms to harvest crops or tend to trees due to the presence of over 20,000 migrants in temporary camps across the fields, as well as the theft of their property and livestock, and damage to public works channels turned into supports for their temporary shelters.
Amid escalating debates on immigration in Tunisia, a parliamentarian revealed plans to collaborate with fellow lawmakers to propose legislation criminalizing the rental of residential apartments to migrants from sub-Saharan African countries without a license, along with a second legislative initiative to “combat human trafficking and punish anyone contributing to the settlement of migrants.” In a statement to Diwan FM radio, the parliamentarian Fatma Mestiri explained that her proposals were in response to the “serious” situation in Sfax, a major departure point for migrants to Europe, where entire neighborhoods in the city are suffering from what she described as “African occupation.” Mestiri’s statements sparked criticism and rejection from human rights activists in Tunisia, especially as they came a few days after she launched a campaign to collect signatures from Sfax residents aimed at “expelling” undocumented migrants from the city.
Mustafa Abdelkabir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, commented on the parliamentarian’s efforts to issue new legislation related to immigration, affirming the right to propose any legislative initiative she deems appropriate. However, emphasizing the necessity for any laws or solutions to address immigration issues to be consistent with national legislation and relevant international treaties. Abdelkabir suggested that the Tunisian parliamentarian may be focusing on the issue more from a political standpoint than a humanitarian one, noting a growing call for the deportation of migrants in response to pressure from European authorities to settle migrants. Tunisia, along with Libya, serves as a major departure point for thousands of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the shores of Italy. In recent months, clashes between undocumented migrants and residents of neighborhoods in Sfax have occurred, with some locals protesting against the increasing numbers of migrants in their city.
Returning to central Sfax in Tunisia, thousands of sub-Saharan Africans spend their days in olive fields under plastic shelters, awaiting a risky journey to Europe by sea. Local sources informed AFP that there are at least 20,000 people scattered across approximately 15 temporary camps near the agricultural towns of Amira and Jbéniana in the northern Sfax province. These individuals began constructing huts with tree branches from mid-September last year after being evicted and transported by buses from downtown Sfax. Thousands more joined them, arriving on foot to the olive fields, where they await the moment to board dilapidated boats and sail towards the Italian coast irregularly.
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