According to a statement by Khalil Akrouti, delegate of the city of Sfax to the Tunis-Afrique Presse agency (TAP/official)
Units of the Ministry of the Interior in Sfax carried out the evacuation of sub-Saharan irregular migrants from Ribat El Medina square and surrounding areas, in Bab El-Jebli, as part of a vast security campaign carried out for two days by the ministry.
In a statement granted to the Tunis-Afrique Presse agency (TAP/official), Khalil Akrouti, delegate of the city of Sfax, indicated that ”migrants, particularly from the Sudanese community, have been taking over the place for two months, specifying that ‘ ‘these campaigns continue for the evacuation of migrants from the Place du Jardin La Mère et l’Enfant, in Bab El-Jebli”.
The inhabitants of the governorate of Sfax have launched, through the media, calls to the authorities to prevent the massive arrival of illegal migrants and “to find solutions to the negative aspects which have accompanied this phenomenon, in particular the environmental, social, health and human,” reported TAP.
The city of Sfax has often been the scene of protests in recent months, with the growing discontent of residents against the presence of sub-Saharan migrants in an irregular situation. The city is in fact one of the major starting points for clandestine crossings from the Mediterranean to Europe and in particular to the coasts of Italy. This area of the Tunisian coast is less than 130 km from the Italian island of Lampedusa.
According to the Tunisian Minister of the Interior, Kamel Feki, the number of irregular immigrants in Sfax at around 17,000 sub-Saharan migrants are found in the city of Sfax, out of a total of 80,000 across the country.
Since the beginning of 2023, Tunisia has experienced a remarkable increase in irregular migratory flows towards Europe, particularly towards the Italian coasts, in light of the repercussions of the economic and political crises in the country and the armed conflicts which are ravaging several others. African countries.
