The World Briefly
March 03, 2023Diversions and Distractions
Tunisia
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Guinea and Ivory Coast began repatriating hundreds of their citizens from Tunisia this week after Tunisian President Kais Saied blamed sub-Saharan migrants for a rise in crime and accused them of attempting to erase Tunisia’s identity, Africanews reported Thursday.
Ivorian officials said that the country’s national carrier is being tasked to help return around 500 of its citizens from Tunisia. Meanwhile, Guinea announced it is sending its foreign minister to Tunisia “to provide urgent support for Guineans” there.
The repatriation efforts come a week after Saied ordered Tunisian authorities to take “urgent measures” against “hordes” of sub-Saharan African migrants. The president accused these individuals of causing a wave of crime and changing the North African nation’s demographic makeup.
He also alleged that unnamed parties have settled sub-Saharan Africans in Tunisia in exchange for money over the last decade, according to Al Jazeera.
There are more than 21,000 sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia. Dozens have been arrested in a major crackdown, while others have reported physical attacks.
Some migrants have flocked to their embassies asking to be returned home.
Saied’s comments drew condemnation both locally and internationally, with the African Union urging Tunisia to avoid “racialized hate speech.” Tunisians have launched protests against the president’s statements and the government’s actions against migrants.
In recent months, Saied has been under fire from opposition and human rights groups for arresting political opponents who have criticized his rule and his failure to improve the economy. At the same time, he has come under criticism worldwide for Tunisia’s backsliding on democracy: Tunisia overthrew its longtime dictator in 2011 and sparked the so-called Arab Spring, establishing a democracy that lasted until 2021 when Saied took over in a “coup.”
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