Is Tunisia really safe for black migrants and refugees?
A little more before 2023, the situation in Tunisia was still relatively safe and favorable. Refugees could work and move freely. But since the European Union increased pressure on the Tunisian government with exorbitant payments, the situation for refugees has dangerously reversed. The President also in late February 2023 incited the population to racism and persecution of refugees. A wave of arrests last May put not only civilians who were helping the young people in prison but also members of recognized humanitarian organizations that had been operating in favor of refugees in humanitarian, social, legal, and health capacities.
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This suppression of NGOs and the migrant community has created dangerous and worsening conditions for migrants, including forced returns to Libya, where many experience further abuse, trafficking, and sexual violence. Now, the refugees lack any form of support, even what would be their right, such as the ability to apply for asylum in Tunisia.
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In a deal signed in July 2023, the EU pledged substantial financial and technical support to help Tunisia deter migrants and tighten border control. However, this agreement was made without input from civil rights organizations and has exacerbated conditions for migrants, especially those from sub-Saharan Africa, who face increasing hostility, arbitrary arrests, and forced deportations.
Migrants are often forcibly removed from public spaces and detained without due process, with authorities using violence and forcibly evicting hundreds, including children and pregnant women. ​
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Since last summer, thousands of young people have had to live in makeshift camps across Tunisia without dignified infrastructure and with a permanent shortage of water. Almost every day, armed groups from the national guard violently attack the young people, even using tear gas.
Those who manage to flee lose the last belongings they have, which are burned. Others are loaded onto buses and taken into the desert, where they are robbed of their last money, phones, food, water, and most importantly, their shoes. Many die on the scorching sands of the desert without leaving a trace. Some manage to escape, but many are arrested again as soon as they reach inhabited areas.
A huge number of migrants living in informal camps outside of Sfax are facing a dire health crisis. They have no access to running water or washing facilities let alone toilets. They live in dusty, dirty olive groves where locals are now dumping the contents of their septic tanks. All these cause major risks to health and so far has caused an epidemic of cholera, typhoids and other infectious diseases.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Migrants run the risk of brutal attacks by local gangs armed with machetes. The migrant doctor regularly treats very challenging injuries that would normally be attended to by plastic or orthopaedic surgeons.
Migrants can not move freely, they cannot simply go to a clinic or a pharmacy to buy medicines, so the medical volunteers rely on the kindness of locals to buy essential medicines, such as antibiotics, and dressings and disinfecting products such as iodine and alcohol. The camps have no antibiotics, no sterile dressings tape, let alone suturing kits, it’s difficult to close wounds and treat let alone prevent infection.
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Women are one of the most affected groups, its estimated that there are some 900 pregnant women, some who have fallen pregnant after being raped. As a result many are suffering with serious sexually transmitted diseases that need powerful antibiotics and are enduring difficult pregnancies and often painful and complex births. They have no access to the normal antenatal care that any pregnant woman should have easy access to. Those in the early stages of pregnancy who have suffered rape have no access to abortion clinics to end their unwanted pregnancy and are forced to carry to term.
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The women are rarely able to transfer to hospital, even when their labours run into difficulty. Babies born in distress are often born with respiratory problems or soon develop them in the dusty environment. Babies are going unvaccinated risking serious childhood diseases like measles, polio , rubella, chicken pox and mumps. Living in a field means every cut or injury risks tetanus, infected wounds and even septicaemia.​
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Food means risking life and limb at the hands of violent gangs, or worse still being captured by police and forced into the Algerian or Libyan deserts without water or shoes.​
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If you are wondering why Tunisia cannot be a country of safety for migrants please consider these five points:
1. Systemic Abuse and Arbitrary Detention: Migrants in Tunisia face frequent instances of violence, arbitrary detention, and forced deportations without due process. Amnesty International has documented instances where Tunisian authorities have used excessive force, including beatings and the use of tear gas, to remove migrants from public spaces. The risk of being detained arbitrarily is particularly high, with security forces often detaining migrants simply for their presence in Tunisia, which creates a hostile and fearful environment.
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2. Escalating Xenophobia and Racial Violence: Since early 2023, Tunisia has seen a surge in anti-migrant and anti-Black sentiment, fueled partly by statements from high-ranking officials, including President Kais Saied. His comments alleging a “criminal plot” to alter Tunisia’s demographics have intensified xenophobic attitudes, leading to violent attacks on sub-Saharan African migrants. This environment has made daily life dangerous for migrants, who are often targets of racial abuse, physical violence, and discrimination in housing and employment.
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3. Forced Evictions and Lack of Shelter: Migrants in Tunisia, especially in urban areas, often live in overcrowded and insecure conditions. Amnesty International reports that in recent months, authorities have forcibly evicted hundreds of migrants, including vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women, from their makeshift shelters and residences. This has left many without safe housing or access to humanitarian assistance.
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4. Lack of Access to Asylum Protections: Tunisia lacks a formal asylum system, meaning migrants and asylum seekers have limited protection under the law. Without a legal framework for refugee protection or residency rights, migrants cannot obtain secure legal status and face the constant risk of deportation or detention. This situation prevents them from accessing basic services like healthcare and legal aid, leaving them particularly vulnerable .
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5. Complicity in EU Migration Control Policies: Tunisia’s collaboration with the EU on migration control has intensified the pressure on migrants within its borders. In exchange for EU funding, Tunisia has increased border enforcement, resulting in the forced return of migrants to Libya—a country where they face further risks of abuse, trafficking, and torture. This EU-backed policy effectively turns Tunisia into a holding zone for migrants, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis there .
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