Tunisia’s President Kais Saied recently called on his security forces to halt illegal immigration and described the influx of migrants in his nation as a conspiracy to change the democratic make-up of the North African nation.
Saied’s remarks sparked an uproar and criticism from the African Union (AU) and local human rights groups who took to the streets on February 25, arguing that his remarks were racist, an allegation vehemently denied by authorities in the North African nation.
Members of rights groups carry banners during a protest, after Tunisian President Kais Saied ordered security forces to stop all illegal migration and expel all undocumented migrants, Tunis, February 25, 2023.
“The Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E. Moussa Fake MAHAMAT strongly condemns the shocking statement issued by Tunisian authorities targeting fellow Africans which go against the letter and spirit of our Organization and founding principles,” read a statement released by the AU.
“The Chairperson reminds all countries, particularly African Union Member States, to honor their obligations under international law and relevant African Union instruments to treat all migrants with dignity, wherever they come from, refrain from racialized hate speech that could bring people to harm, and prioritize their safety and human rights,” added the statement.
Nabil Amar, Tunisia’s Foreign Minister recently sat down with news agency Agence France-Presse where he said the international community misunderstood the remarks passed by his president.
"It's really a bad judgement and a misleading interpretation of what the higher Tunisian authorities said about this [migrants]. We need to keep a cool head now. It's been a few days since it happened. We must calm down. The messages of appeasement have already been relayed," said Amar.
"There is no problem with legal migrants. On the contrary, we want more of those. They are all Tunisian ambassadors in Africa. Illegal migrants are urged to return home, but while respecting their rights and dignity. All return procedures will be calibrated and implemented within the framework of respect for their rights," he added.
Salsabil Chellali, the director for Human Rights Watch in Tunisia disagreed with the sentiments shared by the foreign minister.
“What we are seeing right now is really an increase of violence against sub-Saharan migrants or students, and, really, a climate of fear,” said Chellali.
“People are scared to go out from their houses, scared to go to work,” she added.
Some information in this report was sourced from Agence France-Presse.