Tunisian authorities on Monday carried out the forced evacuation of nearly 500 migrants from the sub-Saharan country from a building located in the city of Sfax, a hub for irregular immigration operations towards Europe from the Tunisian coast.
According to judicial sources, the evacuation operation carried out by the security units was initiated after a clash between the migrants and the police.
This action led to the arrest of about twenty people involved in riots and criminal acts, the same source adds.
Read also: Tunisia: NGOs condemn “hate speech” against sub-Saharan migrants
A new wave of expulsions of sub-Saharan migrants has recently been launched in the Sfax region, the scene of regular clashes between migrants and the police.
Last September, around 500 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were chased from a square in central Sfax by Tunisian security forces after being driven from their homes in early July.
Human rights NGOs have condemned the escalation of attacks on migrants, including mass expulsions last year to the desert border area with Libya, where at least 27 were killed and 73 missing.
A speech given a year ago by Tunisian President Kais Saied sparked outrage locally and internationally, with comments deemed “violent” and “racist” towards migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
With MAP
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