Tunis, March. 2 — Ivory Coast and Guinea are repatriating their citizens from Tunisia after President Kais Saied made inflammatory remarks last week about illegal migration. Mr. Saied accused “illegal hordes” of sub-Saharan African migrants of causing a demographic change in Tunisia and being behind the rising crime. Dozens of sub-Saharan African migrants have since been detained, and many lost their jobs and housing overnight. Tunisia had an estimated 21,000 sub-Saharan African migrants in 2021, according to official figures. Mr. Saied denied being racist, but a local rights activist accused him of inciting hatred and racial discrimination against African migrants.
Following the comments, Ivory Coast and Guinea have sent specially chartered planes to bring back their nationals, with Ivory Coast’s government spokesman, Amadou Coulibaly, stating that the “most urgent thing is to save lives, to prevent injuries.” Hundreds of Ivorians and Guineans have registered with their countries’ embassies to be repatriated.
Mr. Saied also claimed that the “undeclared goal of the successive waves of illegal immigration is to consider Tunisia a purely African country that has no affiliation to the Arab and Islamic nations.” The African Union, of which Tunisia is a member, condemned the statement as “shocking” and warned against “racialized hate speech.”
The situation highlights the challenges faced by sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia and the prevalence of racial discrimination in the country. About 80% of Tunisians believe that racial discrimination is a problem in their country, according to a survey published by BBC News Arabic last year, the highest figure in the Middle East and North Africa region. The incident serves as a reminder of the need to address these issues and promote tolerance and acceptance towards migrants in Tunisia and across the region. – Namibia Daily News
