Tunisia - July 2023

Tunisia has been grappling with an unprecedented surge in migration, associated with leading to an increase in racially motivated harassment and violence against refugees. In early July, Tunisian security forces reportedly relocated an estimated 1,200 migrants, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa to remote regions near the borders with Libya and Algeria. The expulsions followed days of unrest in the city of Sfax where Tunisians had held protests against the presence of refugees and a local man was killed during the violent confrontations. Human Rights Watch raised concerns on 6 July about the dire humanitarian situation and serious migrant rights violations. Tunisian authorities responded by relocating hundreds of migrants from border areas to town shelters after criticisms surfaced about living conditions. However, there are reports of migrants who have died or are missing in these remote areas, with Libyan authorities finding several bodies on their border with Tunisia. In the first half of 2023, Tunisian authorities rescued over 15,000 migrants and recovered the bodies of 901 more who drowned off its coast, according to the country's Interior Minister.

Sources: Al Jazeera (1), North Africa Post, Reuters (1), North Africa Journal, Human Rights Watch, Middle East Monitor, Reuters (2), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Al Jazeera (2)