Summary:

Throughout July and early August, international and domestic criticism continued over the treatment of migrants along Tunisia’s borders as hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans were forcibly re-located.

Reports indicated that as many as 2000 migrants were forcibly transferred to desert areas along Tunisia’s southern borders with Libya and Algeria. Libyan authorities have reported finding over a dozen bodies of migrants claiming they were forced into the desert by Tunisian authorities.

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On 2 August, a spokesperson for United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a halt to Tunisia’s “expulsions” of migrants to border areas. The UN noted the deaths that had already been recorded and highlighted the “extremely dire conditions” of many still stranded in desert areas, including some pregnant women and children.

In response to the UN, Tunisian Interior Minister Kamel Feki acknowledged that some small groups of migrants were being prevented from entering Tunisia, noting that they lacked the proper paperwork to do so. Feki denied, however, that collective expulsions of migrants were taking place and emphasized that only small groups of illegal migrants were being prevented from entering the country along the desert borders.

Outlook:  

The conditions faced by irregular migrants and some formal migrants in Tunisia has deteriorated significantly. With European funding and assistance, Tunisia is working to control its land and sea borders in order to stem the flow of irregular migrants to Europe. However, in practice, these efforts have resulted in numerous tragic incidents and deaths.

While the efforts continue to draw significant criticism of both Tunisia and the country’s European benefactors, many in Europe favor a clamp down on migrants as the issue becomes increasingly divisive domestically for many European countries.

In the near-term, Tunisia’s efforts to stem migrant flows are likely to draw additional criticism, but with the backing of key European partners, will likely not lead to any tangible impacts.

Should artists continue to draw attention to the issue as has occurred recently, the potential for substantial public outcry could rise, prompting a change of course by European policymakers. However, this sort of impact remains unlikely.

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