Tunisian Anti-Discrimination Activist arrested: This week, Tunisian anti-discrimination activist Saadia Mosbah was apprehended in relation to an inquiry into alleged money laundering. Mosbah, a Black leader of the Mnemty group, was arrested during a search of her home.
Mosbah was detained following a social media post in which she detailed instances of prejudice she had encountered while advocating for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, according to Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights president Bassem Trifi.
Arrests like this one show how bad things are for migrants and those who stand with them in Tunisia.
It happens as officials step up their monitoring of the shoreline, the starting point for many dangerous migrations to Europe.
President Kais Saied of Tunisia said during Tuesday’s national security council meeting on irregular migration that groups receiving large amounts of money from outside entities were “traitors and agents” who should not take over the state’s responsibilities in controlling migration and fighting human trafficking.
Although fewer migrants have tried to cross the perilous Mediterranean Sea this year owing to weather and increased border security, human rights groups are concerned that the tens of thousands of migrants stuck in Tunisia have not been protected.
Arrests of Migrants:
Over 80 migrants were taken into custody last week in Tunis after fights broke out between them and law police while they destroyed encampments in the city. The encampments were considered to be “disturbing the peace,” according to Tunisia’s Radio Mosaique.
Near the United Nations refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration headquarters, hundreds of migrants have established camps, frequently requesting to be repatriated from Tunisia.
Police broke down their tents with heavy equipment and took them to “an unknown destination,” according to Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.
Losses in Migrant Population:
Some 244 migrants, mostly from countries other than Tunisia, have perished or gone missing along the Mediterranean coast of the country so far this year; 24 of those dead were found during the past week alone, according to a UN study.
Authorities in Tunisia have recorded a rise in interceptions, impacting migrants from Tunisia as well as those passing through the nation on their way to Europe, even if the number of undocumented migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean has decreased.
Over 8,200 migrants, primarily from nations in sub-Saharan Africa, were prevented from reaching Italy in April alone, when officials thwarted 209 migration attempts. To far this year, the Tunisian Coast Guard has successfully apprehended more than 21,000 migrants who were trying to reach Italy.
The Position of the EU:
To avoid mayhem along Italian beaches, migration control has been a top priority for European leaders, notably Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy.
There have been attempts to increase border controls and combat human trafficking, but thousands of migrants are still making the dangerous voyage from Tunisia to islands like Lampedusa in Italy.
By providing development aid and working more closely with neighboring governments, the European Union hopes to reduce migration.
One thing is certain: Tunisia’s president has vowed that his country would not become Europe’s “border guard.” Less than one-third of migrants made the voyage to Italy in 2024, according to figures from Italy’s Interior Ministry, a considerable fall from last year.
