Former Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani has called on European countries to increase their financial aid to countries like Tunisia to manage the large influx of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Speaking at a migration conference in Tripoli, the former Prime Minister stated, “More aid should be provided to countries like Tunisia, as the current assistance is insufficient to address the problem.” He added that Tunisia is dealing with the issue at the expense of its public finances and mentioned that certain cities, such as El Amra and Jbeniana, have taken in more migrants than their capacity allows. Tunisia is grappling with a worsening migration crisis, with tens of thousands of migrants attempting dangerous sea journeys from Tunisian shores to European coasts in search of better opportunities. Thousands of migrants are now concentrated in towns like El Amra and Jbeniana near Sfax in the south of the country, which have become major departure points for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in hopes of a better life in Europe.
Tunisia finds itself at the heart of a significant shift in the Mediterranean migration landscape. It has become a major transit point for migrants and asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa, particularly from Sudan, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and others, aiming to reach Europe. Since 2015, the presence of a large number of African migrants in Tunisia has become commonplace. That year, Tunisia abolished visa programs with several sub-Saharan countries. However, political shifts in the Sahel and Libya led to a substantial increase in arrivals to the country. A series of coups in the Sahel region, coupled with the climate crisis and deteriorating living conditions, have forced thousands of people to leave their homes.
The Tunisian authorities have failed to develop a comprehensive strategy to manage the influx of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, let alone curb it. Instead, they have resorted to inconsistent policies, repressive measures, and short-term tactics driven by a security mindset, primarily focusing on the mass expulsion of migrants and asylum seekers to rural or border areas. Tunisia’s transformation into a transit hub for migrants highlights the extent to which migration has become a persistent issue reflecting the country’s structural challenges, its vulnerability to regional instability, and broader geopolitical dynamics.
By 2019, Tunisia had become a preferred transit point for migrants along the central Mediterranean route. Only 36 percent of migrants departed by sea from Libya, while 32 percent departed from Tunisia. In 2020, 43 percent of those arriving by sea in Italy came from Tunisia, and 38 percent from Libya. This trend continued, reaching its peak in 2023, when 61 percent of arrivals on Italian shores were from Tunisia and 33 percent from Libya. The overall numbers also increased, with the economic downturn in North Africa and the Sahel due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a sharp rise in the total number of migrants arriving in Italy, from 11,500 in 2019 to 157,300 in 2023.
Members of the Tunisian Parliament have also proposed an amendment to the foreign residency law, which includes prison sentences of up to three years aimed at combating illegal migration. According to the proposed amendment, foreigners who enter or leave Tunisia without complying with the conditions, such as entering with a valid passport at one of the border points, would face imprisonment from one to three years. The same penalty applies to foreigners who do not apply for a residency visa within the legal time frame, fail to renew it upon expiration, or remain in the country after their visa or residency card request is denied, according to the proposed legislation. The bill also includes similar penalties for those who assist any foreigner in entering or leaving the country illegally. Tunisian parliamentarians explained that the unprecedented influx of Africans recently and their illegal stay in Tunisia have “caused a state of tension in several cities.”
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