Tunisia was once the cradle of the Arab Spring. Those times are long gone. Disillusionment is spreading across the country. Above all, the policy against African foreigners drives people away.
During her visit to Tunisia, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) discussed migration and counter-terrorism issues with Tunisian Interior Minister Kamel Fekih on Monday. The background to the meeting is a sharp increase in the number of migrants who set off from Tunisia to Europe in self-made boats in the first half of the year.
According to the federal police, one reason for this was statements by President Kais Saied that led to a wave of violence and harassment against foreigners from sub-Saharan Africa in February. But the economic crisis in Tunisia also drove many people into the boats.
Federal police officials, who have been running a project for training and equipping security forces in Tunisia since 2015, reported to the minister on Sunday evening that in the days following the president’s speech, practically no migrants from these countries dared to take to the streets. The situation calmed down later.
Tunisia important transit country for irregular migration
After her arrival in Tunis on Sunday, Faeser emphasized that on the one hand she was concerned with facilitating deportations to the Arab country. On the other hand, Tunisian workers should have more opportunities to migrate to Germany for work. Faeser is visiting Tunisia with her French counterpart Gérald Darmanin.
Alongside Belarus, Tunisia is currently one of the most important transit countries for irregular migration to Europe. According to the Federal Police, around 26,000 people came this way in the first five months alone, after around 4,000 boat migrants in the same period last year. Among the irregular migrants are Tunisians hoping for a better life in Europe.
At the end of 2022, the federal government had agreed a so-called migration agreement with India. Georgia and Moldova are to follow soon – even if the classification of these two countries as so-called safe countries of origin discussed in the federal government could take a little longer.
Tunisia was once the cradle of the so-called Arab Spring, a series of uprisings that swept away several longtime Arab rulers in 2011. Former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia at the time. After initial democratic progress, disillusionment spread in Tunisia, partly because of the persistently high youth unemployment.
Source: Stern
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