Tunisia, Libya strike deal on stranded sub-Saharan African migrants

Adam Lucente

Aug 10, 2023

An injured migrant who fled violence in Sfax to the militarised buffer zone between Tunisia and Libya rests. — An injured migrant who fled violence in Sfax to the militarised buffer zone between Tunisia and Libya rests after he was bussed with others to a temporary shelter at a boarding school in Ben Guedane, on July 12, 2023. Hundreds fled or were pushed to the harsh border area between Tunisia and Libya after racial tensions flared last week into violence against migrants from sub-Saharan African countries. — FATHI NASRI/AFP via Getty Images

Tunisia and Libya pledged on Thursday to help around 300 stranded migrants as Tunisia’s racial and border crisis continues.

The two neighbors agreed to share responsibility for providing shelter to the migrants. The deal pertains to migrants in the desert area of Ras Jedir who were brought there by Tunisian authorities. Each country will assume responsibility for more than 100 migrants, Agence France-Presse reported.

Why it matters: Tunisia is in the midst of a worsening migration crisis. The North African country has long been a transit point for people seeking to illegally sail for Europe. However, in February, President Kais Saied ordered security services to crack down on migration, saying the sub-Saharan African migrants are part of a “conspiracy” to change Tunisia’s demographics. Human Rights Watch reported in July that there has been an increase in abuses toward African migrants by Tunisian forces following Saied's orders.

The situation has led to an influx of migrants on the Tunisia-Libya border. AFP reported in late July that Tunisian authorities left hundreds of migrants at the border in recent weeks. This followed migrants being driven out of the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax amid racial tensions.