Tunisian authorities have launched a large-scale operation to dismantle numerous informal camps housing migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, located mainly in the areas of El Amra and Jebeniana, north of Sfax. According to official estimates, these settlements housed approximately 20,000 people, many of whom were waiting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.
During the operations, security forces arrested around 200 migrants and seized bladed weapons. Authorities stated that the intervention aims to ensure public safety and health, but many migrants fear forced deportations to desert areas on the border with Algeria and Libya.
Currently, the migrants have been transferred to a state-owned area in Bir Mellouli, while initiatives for voluntary repatriation continue in collaboration with international organizations.
However, several non-governmental organizations and activists have expressed concern about the methods of the evictions and the conditions in which the migrants find themselves. In some cases, there are fears that the deportations are not actually voluntary, but forced.
Tunisian President Kais Saied stated that the operation was conducted peacefully and without violence or coercion, emphasizing that the intervention was guided by moral and humanitarian principles.
