Anti-Black Racism in Tunisia: The Persecution of Sub-Saharan African Migrants

(Photo by Houcemmzoughi via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

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In July 2023, shocking pictures and videos were released by the media, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the Libyan border patrol displaying sub-Saharan African migrants dying between the Tunisian and Libyan border. Specifically, a photograph of Matyla, an Ivorian woman, and her 6-year-old daughter lying dead in the desert revealed the violent and discriminatory practices used by the Tunisian government. Yet, the story of Matyla is just the tip of an iceberg of deep-rooted and growing anti-Black racism in the country. In May 2024, the story is repeating itself as Tunisia has started to expel migrants to the border again. 

The Tunisian coastal city of Sfax has become a prime spot for migrants leaving for Europe. Because of its proximity to the Italian Island of Lampedusa, Sfax is the shortest connection to European territory by water. This strategic spot continues to draw an increasing number of sub-Saharan Africans willing to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.

NGOs and the United Nations (UN) have reported a surge of violence against Black people in the country with mass deportations to the desert. Despite the recognition, regional organizations, including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, have remained silent. In the meantime, the European Union (EU) has had difficulty in negotiating financial aid for migrants with Tunisian President Kais Saied’s increasingly authoritative and xenophobic government.

From a “Bad Joke” to the Great Replacement Theory

In 2023, the number of people departing from Tunisia to Europe was five times higher than the previous year. On September 14, 2024, over 7,000 people arrived in Lampedusa from Tunisia in just 24 hours. Climate change, poverty, and conflict could explain migration patterns from Sub-Saharan African countries to Europe. Yet, the increasing xenophobic violence in Tunisia has led to a rapid increase in migrants fleeing the country. 

On February 21, 2023, Saied stated that illegal migrants cause violence and crime in the country. According to him, illegal border crossings from sub-Saharan Africa aim to “change the demographic composition of Tunisia.” Although the Tunisian government claimed 700,000 Black African migrants living in the country, sub-Saharan African migrants represented less than 0.5% of the population in 2020. Despite this, Saied declared urgent action against immigration. A few weeks later, Tunisia’s foreign minister laughed at Saied’s statement on CNN, saying it was a “bad joke.” 

Xenophobic discourse extends beyond Tunisia and is nothing new in today’s geo-political landscape. Conspiracies of racial plots against a country’s interest have been regular talking points brought by far-right politicians in Western Europe and the United States in response to people’s frustrations. In white-majority countries, the most common conspiracy has been the so-called Great Replacement Theory, which holds that there is a coordinated effort to “replace” white Europeans with other ethnic minorities.

It was unsurprising then when the French far-right politician Eric Zemmour applauded the Tunisian president’s speech: “Tunisia wants to take urgent action to protect its people [from the escalation of immigration]. What are we waiting for to fight the Great Replacement?” 

Rising Violence and Deportation Across the Country

The “bad joke” echoed across the population. The president’s endorsement of racism escalated violence against sub-Saharan African migrants and Black Tunisians. From there, media and NGOs documented the use of excessive force and dehumanizing treatment by both authorities and the Tunisian citizens against Black people.

In July 2023, several videos were published online, supported by reports of NGOs, media, and the Libyan border patrol, displaying mass deportations of Black people to the Tunisian borders. The videos showed Tunisian security services expelling Black migrants to the desert while forcing them to walk under extreme heat without food or water. Human Rights Watch revealed that the high number of migrants at the border resulted from mass forced evictions of sub-Saharan Africans with regular and irregular legal statuses. Over 1,200 people were transferred violently to the borders in just three days. 

Although the situation has stalled since last summer, sub-Saharan African migrants have faced renewed violence since the beginning of May. The police raided several camps and forcibly transferred over 500 refugees to the Algerian border. Similar footage has been published displaying hundreds of refugees and migrants being detained and sent to Libya. The persecution of sub-Saharan Africans in Tunisia has also led to a new form of human trafficking in the country, involving the kidnapping of migrants by other  migrants for ransom. These innocent victims are trapped as they fear to file a complaint because of their irregular status.

A Scapegoat Among Internal Turmoil

The speech given by President Saied in February 2023 occurred in a particularly tense context in Tunisia. Saied’s government continues to face unprecedented opposition amidst anger from the population. Hence, the February speech was a way for the government to frame internal economic and political difficulties as problems arriving from abroad, framing Black people as scapegoats. At the same time, it has justified the centralization of powers in the hands of the authoritarian President. Indeed, since 2021, Saied has suspended the Parliament, imposed a ban on protests, and ordered arbitrary arrests of media workers and political opponents.  

Despite the ban, a week later, 3,000 people began protesting against the attacks on migrants and arbitrary arrests. Likewise, several left-wing politicians publicly denounced the hate speech and physical attacks against Black migrants, demanding that Saied make a public apology. 

Although the protests did not lead to any substantial change, migrants have been able to reach out to human rights organizations to make their voices heard. Yet, on May 6, 2024, President Saied publicly declared that associations defending sub-Saharan African migrants “receive huge amounts of money from abroad” with their members being “traitors and mercenaries.” This statement was followed immediately by several arrests of NGO leaders, including the anti-racism award-winning activist Saadia Mosbah, for money laundering. It marks another step further into repression and worsens a climate of uncertainty for human rights advocates in the country.

Regional and International Reactions

Following the February 2023 speech, the African Union condemned the use of “racialized hate speech” by the Tunisian government. However, the organization has taken no further action since then, and the regional economic institutions remained silent. 

In April 2023, the UN condemned the racist speech of the government and called for the halt of arbitrary arrests, forced evictions, and collective detentions of sub-Saharan African migrants and Black Tunisians. Facing this wave of violence, several African governments, notably Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Gambia decided to remove their nationals from Tunisia. Black people remain sleeping and queuing in front of the UN and embassies to be evacuated or sheltered.

In July, the UN urged for the expansion of “humanitarian access to a dangerous area on the Tunisian-Libyan border where many, including pregnant women and children, have already been deported.” They reported that, as of the end of August, at least 28 migrants died from heat and thirst, and around 2,000 migrants and asylum-seekers were left there by the Tunisian authorities. Since then, the UN has  not repeated any statement on Tunisia.

Due to the global outcry and rapid circulation of the images taken at the border, President Saied felt compelled to respond and take action. On July 9, he claimed that the images were fake and migrants had been treated with humanity. Yet, Tunisian authorities relocated over 600 people from the border to UN-supervised shelters the next day, alarming Human Rights Watch that groups of migrants remained stranded at the border. 

In August, Libya and Tunisia agreed to share the responsibility of the migrants stranded at the border. The Tunisian government announced that migrants were transferred to reception centers in Tataouine and Medenine to receive health and psychological care. The Libyan government declared that joint patrols would be organized to make sure no migrants would be left there.

Yet, almost a year later, no concrete agreement on managing incoming migrants has been made in either country. In April 2024, government officials from Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya met to deepen cooperation on migration issues. The spokesperson of the Tunisian government suggested that the Bir Fatnassia camp, a temporary camp used during the 2020 military escalation in Libya, could be reopened. Human rights defenders worried about the living conditions in such camps in the desert under the extreme temperatures of the Tunisian summer. 

The Tunisia–EU Agreement: An Inconsistent Relationship Over Migration 

Meanwhile, Tunisia and the EU agreed on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” on diverse topics, including migration. This agreement was pushed primarily by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, known for her anti-immigration stance, and finalized in mid-July. The agreement provided €105 million in aid for Tunisia to reduce illegal migration and restrict illegal departures to Europe.

Their agreement sparked criticism among human rights defenders and politicians. They worry that this money will enable more deportations of migrants to the border while ignoring the domestic political situation, which is “a  root cause of the departure of Tunisians from their country.” The Council of Europe expressed further concern over the lack of “human rights safeguards” in the agreement, stating the need to ensure funding does not benefit the Tunisian institutions involved in violations.  

Interestingly, in October 2023, President Saied refused a part of the payment from the agreement, declaring that “Tunisia […] does not accept anything that resembles charity or handouts.” In May 2024, the government repeated that the EU-Tunisia partnership should rely on “cooperation rather than assistance” and that Tunisia will not be the “border guard” of Europe. 

Despite the criticism, the EU declared it will seek to make this agreement a “template” for future partnerships in the Mediterranean region. This type of agreement is particularly alarming, as migrants will seek even more dangerous routes to Europe. 

No Change in Sight for Black People in Tunisia

Growing violence against Black people in Tunisia was allowed by an authoritative regime looking for a xenophobic scapegoat. A timely discourse encouraged the legitimacy of racism and violence against Black people. The EU’s urge to restrict the growing  flow of migrants and shameless agreement with a repressive government in full knowledge of its human rights violations does not come as a surprise. Yet, the instability in the Sahel suggests that the migration flows coming through Tunisia will certainly not stop. With no other place to go, racist violence in the country will only encourage more sub-Saharan Africans to seek refuge by crossing to Europe. 

As Tunisia shows increasing reluctance to become Europe’s border guard, the EU might take a firmer position regarding the country’s treatment of Black people and migrants. But as for now, Tunisia seems to continue to embrace a racist conspiracy theory, far away from the progressivism that sparked the Arab Spring twelve years ago. These perspectives of sub-Saharan African migrants are dreadful as the Tunisian presidential election draws near and summer promises many more crossings in the calmer waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Edited by Isaac Code