Bulldozers, Fire and IOM Fenced Camps Again
According to the European Commission, the Meloni government and the forthcoming German government, Tunisia is a Safe Country. But this is not the main reason for us to keep an eye on what is happening there: Tunisia is opening a new chapter in the EU’s war against Black African migrants. The makeshift Camps are being demolished with bulldozers and fire. 30.000 persons are losing their last resources. Hundreds are gathering in front of the regional IOM offices, and in Tunis, asking for “voluntary return”. New gated camps are being set up, by the Tunisian military and by IOM, in the desert and at the Algerian border.
Echoes and migration-control info have repeatedly reported on the developments in Tunisia, after the racist speech of President Saied and the EU Tunisia Deal in 2023, and the illegal mass deportations and dumping of African migrants in the desert. Black Africans were driven out of cities like Tunis and Sfax, and found refuge in makeshift camps under the olive trees along the main road, running from Sfax to the North. The camps were situated between km 10 and 40, near the smaller towns of El Amra and Jebiniana. In the course of time, some relevant structures of survival were developed in these camps, like bathing tents, clinics, cooking tents, a mosque area, education sites for children, some sports facilities, and even a court for clearing disputes. There were 36 camps counted: 19 in Al-Amra (between kilometres 20 and 30) and 17 in Jebiniana (between kilometers 31 and 40).
However, the situation in the camps worsened constantly, especially due to the fact that the passage to Lampedusa became more dangerous and complicated. The cruel efficiency of the EU-equipped Tunisian Coast Guard and supported by Frontex drones resulted in People on the Move being stranded in Tunisia in horrendous conditions. The poverty of the different communities also increased: migrants from West African regions of crisis could no longer be supported by their families, and migrants from the refugee camps in Darfur and Chad came without any money at all. The search for survival caused some problems with the local population, feeding racial prejudices.
As Le Monde wrote: „Reaching the Italian island of Lampedusa from the beaches of Chebba or Salakta has become almost impossible. Since January 1, only 432 migrants have managed to reach it, aboard makeshift vessels, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They were over 18,000 during the same period two years ago.“
On April 3, the spokesman of the Tunisian National Guard, Houssem El Din Jebabli announced that the camps would be dismantled. In the so-called olive grove area, the operations to clear the tent cities have been going on for weeks now. The National Guard threatened that any person who would not ask IOM for repatriation would be dumped in the desert.
Several reports on the situation have been published by by Nawaat, and France24 (06.04.25). Detailed accounts were given by by Mirco Keilberth in ND 09.04.25, and ND 14.04.25, as well as in Le Monde, 19.04.25.
Refugees protesting in front of the UNHCR headquarters in Tunis, March 2023
Many of the refugees have relocated elsewhere, and some are trying to hide even deeper in the olive plantations. While hundreds are gathering in front of the IOM offices, the organization says that repatriations might take months to organize. There are however rumours about a new IOM camp to be set up West of Beja. This camp would be strategically located in a valley with steep mountain slopes at the Border to Algeria, so that the Tunisian guards would only have to guard one side of that valley. It has also been said that the Tunisian military would open a militarized detention camp in the desert of Remada, which is a restricted military zone, where African migrants would be concentrated.
The Meloni government has just recently transferred 20 million Euros to deal with the migrants, and it seems that this money is not used for lifts home, but for detention facilities. Remember Choucha? IOM is big in this game, again.
Migration-Control.info
Website:migration-control.info
