Tunisian authorities begin evacuation of illegal migrant camps in Sfax province

Tunisian authorities announced Friday the start of an evacuation operation for camps housing thousands of irregular migrants in Sfax province in the south, Anadolu reports.

National Guard spokesperson Houssam Eddine Jebabli said the operation in the Al-Aamra and Jebeniana areas began Thursday with the removal of the largest camp, which housed 4,000 people.

He noted that the camps contain irregular migrants from sub-Sahara Africa.

Jebabli stressed that the evacuation “is being carried out peacefully without security intervention,” with the participation of Red Crescent teams, the Health Ministry and the Civil Protection agency, which provided first aid to some migrants.

He added that the evacuation would continue gradually until all camps are dismantled “as soon as possible.”

Khaled Jrad, the head of the Committee for Illegal Immigration, said in January that estimates indicate there are about 20,000 irregular migrants in the Al-Aamra and Jebeniana areas in Sfax. No accurate official statistics are available about the numbers in other areas of the country.

READ: Tunisia withdraws from African Union human rights court

Tunisian authorities have not announced locations where the migrants will be transferred after evacuating the camps.

But media reports suggest that other shelter centers will be allocated for the migrants, distributed across different regions of the country, until their voluntary return to their home countries.

President Kais Saied urged international organizations on March 26 to support the country’s efforts to voluntarily return irregular migrants to their countries and intensify cooperation in dismantling human trafficking networks.

On Jan. 23, Tunisian authorities said 7,250 irregular migrants voluntarily returned to their countries in 2024, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the neighboring countries of Algeria and Libya.

Facing increasing economic and political crises, Tunisia has become a key departure point for irregular migration to Europe. Tunisian authorities have announced on a nearly regular basis thwarting migration attempts.

READ: Tunisia’s chief rabbi apologises after protests following detention of Jewish man