Tunisia: African migrants expelled from Sfax centre

Some 500 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were evicted on Sunday by Tunisian security forces from a square in the centre of Sfax (central-eastern Tunisia) after being driven from their homes at the beginning of July, an NGO said on Sunday.

According to the NGO, the migrants "were dispersed in small groups towards rural areas and other towns".

Since Saturday, the authorities have been conducting a vast security campaign against illegal migrants, most of whom come from sub-Saharan Africa. They announced the arrest of nearly 200 sub-Saharan migrants "who were preparing to make a illegal crossing" to European shores.

Following a speech on illegal immigration by President Kais Saied in February, hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants lost their jobs and homes in Tunisia. Attacks were recorded and several thousand had to be repatriated by their embassies.

At the beginning of July, hundreds more were chased out of the town of Sfax and expelled by the Tunisian security forces, in particular towards a desert border area with Libya where at least 27 died and 73 are missing.