The situation of irregular sub-Saharan migrants who have embarked over the past few months in the governorate of Sfax is frightening and appalling, according to Bassem Trifi, President of the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LTDH).
At a press conference held today, Friday, in Sfax, at the initiative of the League's local branch in Sfax-Sud, on the theme of "The irregular migration crisis: state of play and perceptions", Trifi spoke in an alarmist tone, calling on the Tunisian state to act urgently and assume its full responsibility in the face of this crisis.
In this respect, he proposed creating reception centres to house these irregular African migrants, providing them with social, humanitarian and health assistance and reducing their numbers.
Trifi also considered it useful to carry out a case-by-case study of the situation of irregular migrants, urging the Tunisian authorities to guarantee them humane and decent treatment in compliance with Tunisian law and the international agreements ratified by the country.
He also called for the activation of Organic Law No. 50 of October 23, 2018, on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination in order to facilitate the interventions of civil society organisations and citizens who come to the aid of irregular African migrants.
Faced with the migrant crisis, the LTDH President defends the implementation of a development approach far removed from the discourse of hatred and racism, warning against the rise in power of the rhetoric of hatred and discrimination in Tunisia.
Hate speech continues to spread like wildfire among the ranks of Tunisian citizens, particularly when it emanates from the official authorities, warned the League's President.
As tolerant and lenient as we are towards this rhetoric, violence and tension between citizens and irregular migrants will resurface, he warned.
For his part, Nooman Mzid, head of the local LTDH section in South Sfax, announced that the League's offices in South Sfax would be opening their doors from next Monday to receive donations and health and food aid for illegal sub-Saharan migrants stranded in Sfax.
The process of intervention by organisations and associations providing assistance to migrants is proceeding at a groping pace, regretted the head of the League, stressing that civil society is finding it difficult to carry out its actions successfully.
In their contributions, media representatives raised a number of issues relating to the situation of African migrants, denouncing the Tunisian state's inability to assume its rightful role in this matter.
They also condemned the blackout imposed by the Tunisian government on the content of the planned partnership agreement between our country and the European Union on irregular migration, calling on the official authorities to distinguish between the statuses of "refugee" and "migrant".
The speakers also discussed the role of the LTDH in disseminating a culture of human rights and rejecting racism, hatred and violence against irregular migrants in Tunisia.
For their part, representatives of Sudanese refugees housed at the Espace de l'Enfance et de la Famille in Bab Jebli in Sfax and of sub-Saharan migrants in Sfax gave moving accounts of their situation.
We live under a blazing sun, without shelter or a home", they bitterly recounted, urging the official Tunisian authorities to put an end to their unbearable ordeal and paying tribute to the civil society organisations and associations that have come to provide them with social, health and humanitarian aid.
They also called on the Tunisian authorities to address the issue of sub-Saharan migrants in the Sfax region and to ensure their safety.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse