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.​

 

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.

 

​​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.