Migrants in Tunisia Seek Safe Passage: Tensions are on the rise in the Tunisian seaside resort of El Amra as refugees from sub-Saharan Africa demand asylum so they can travel to Europe. The increasing severity of the situation emphasizes the difficulties encountered by individuals attempting to improve their lives.
Migrant encampments in nearby olive groves, away from the hustle and bustle of the highways, are a sobering reminder of the plight of many. People who have escaped terrible situations and seek a better life in Europe stay in these temporary shelters.
Refugees from Mali are among them; their expressions of exhaustion and despair reflect their plight. “There is no work here,” Defao, a migrant from Mali, said, expressing severe concern. Finding food may be challenging. His request is simple: “All we want is for them to let us go, we will leave.”
Migrant Zilé Inoza from Burkina Faso shared this view. The individual pleaded for asylum, saying, “There is war in our countries and we are here only to cross over and save our families.” “Since we’ve been here, we’ve done nothing wrong,” he added, emphasizing their nonviolent aims. We are merely requesting permission to pass.
Many refugees hoping to find a haven in Europe make their last stop at El Amra and the neighboring town of Jebeniana. These cities highlight the growing problems that Tunisia is experiencing as a central hub for migrants from Bangladesh, Syria, and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
These agricultural communities have seen a heightened presence of law enforcement. The population, including native Tunisians and an increasing number of migrants, is over 83,000. As a result of the resulting social unrest, hundreds of Tunisians marched through Jebeniana, calling for the migrants’ deportation. After an anti-migration accord with the EU—which includes more than $1 billion in aid—took effect, protesters say they are now paying the price for Tunisia’s attempts to limit migration to the EU.
Migrants are being treated with harshness by Tunisian President Kais Saied, who has taken a hard line against them, claiming that they incite crime and violence. According to the Tunisian Coast Guard, who assertedly prevented more than 21,000 land and sea migration attempts this year, this viewpoint is mirrored in their actions.
Still, the UNHCR reports that in the first quarter of 2024, just under 8,000 migrants made it across the Mediterranean Sea from Tunisia to Italy by boat, a marked decline from the previous year. Locals in the Jebeniana and El Amra areas say the figure is far higher; however, the International Organization for Migration‘s Tunisia office puts the number of migrants residing there at about 7,000.
Humane and practical solutions are urgently needed to address the migrant situation in El Amra. Communities and governments confront enormous hurdles in handling the inflow of migrants fleeing violence and poverty in their home regions. There has to be a middle-ground solution that takes into account the humanitarian concerns of migrants and the economic and social effects on host communities. It is imperative that human rights and dignity are upheld in migration policies and that the international community does its part to assist in this endeavor.
