The Pan-African Network Conference on Combating Illicit Financial Flows in Africa was scheduled to take place in Tunis from March 15 to 17.
The Conference of the Pan-African Network on the fight against illicit financial flows (IFF) in Africa, under the responsibility of the African Union, and whose work was scheduled in Tunis from March 15 to 17, has been “postponed until further notice “, we learned from an official source.
The official website of the said conference does not give any details on the reasons for this postponement and does not announce any new date.
However, this cancellation comes in the wake of major controversies about sub-Saharan migrants arriving illegally in Tunisia, since February 21 when Tunisian President Kais Saïed announced the existence of an alleged “plot to change the composition demographics of Tunisia”.
The African Union, through the chairman of its Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, strongly condemned “the shocking statements made by the Tunisian authorities against fellow Africans”, before they pulled themselves together, explaining that Saïed’s remarks only concerned sub-Saharans in an irregular situation and announcing relaxation measures in favor of foreign nationals in a regular situation.
In this affair, Tunisia has also drawn criticism from local civil society and certain important foreign partners, such as the World Bank, which has decided to suspend “until further notice, discussions on the partnership with Tunisia”, which aimed to obtain loans and financing in the amount of 520 million dollars.
Tunisia, which is suffering from an acute economic and social crisis, has been going through a tense period since the end of January, when the judicial authorities began arresting politicians, activists and businessmen, arousing the discontent of political parties and of the Tunisian General Labor Union.
In response to these arrests, massive demonstrations took place on March 4 and 5, to denounce “political trials”, “a failure to manage the crisis”, a policy deemed “autocratic” and, obviously, a ” campaign” against sub-Saharans.
