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Tunisia: tension rises between migrants and locals
Tunisia: tension rises between migrants and locals
(Franceinfo)
Near Sfax, nearly 20,000 sub-Saharan migrants are waiting to reach Europe. Their presence is beginning to pose a problem for the local population. These migrants also have to face police violence.
They find themselves trapped around thirty kilometers from Sfax (Tunisia). The boats that would allow 20,000 sub-Saharan migrants to reach Europe are still waiting. Among these migrants, Ibrahim. He arrived three months ago, in the middle of winter. “The situation in Tunisia is very difficult. But we are no longer very far from Europe. Returning is not the best solution”, he explains. Blocked under the olive trees, without support and without housing, they have no other choice but to try to flee Tunisia. Otherwise, they will be intercepted once again, brought back to the border without water or food, and beaten by the police, who seek to secure the inhabitants.
1,500 children left to their own devices
A vicious circle which makes the situation explosive. And it’s only getting worse. Since mid-September, sub-Saharan migrants are no longer even allowed to frequent local cafes and shops. The English newspaper The Guardian warns of the fate of 1,500 alone children, stranded in Tunisia, victims of trafficking and exploitation. For its part, Europe is funding the Tunisian state to the tune of 105 million euros to stem migratory flows.
