By Christian George
Tunisia’s President, Kais Saied, has frowned at illegal sub-Saharan African migrants into his country, stressing that it would change Tunisia’s demographic make-up.
President Saied, in a meeting with the National Security Council on Tuesday said that the influx of irregular migrants into the country must be stopped.
According to him, “the undeclared goal of the successive waves of illegal immigration is to consider Tunisia a purely African country that has no affiliation to the Arab and Islamic nations.”
According to France24, a Tunisian rights group, which had this week already condemned what they call hate speech directed at African migrants, said Saied’s comments were racist.
Ramadan Ben Amor, the spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, reiterated that “it is a racist approach just like the campaigns in Europe… the presidential campaign aims to create an imaginary enemy for Tunisians to distract them from their basic problems.”
However, Tunisia is seen as a major transit point for migrants and refugees who are looking for a way to Europe. Even the citizens as well as people from other African nations sought to cross the Mediterranean with the hope of landing in Europe.
While authorities are working on arresting and detaining migrants, Saied revealed that a party had settled migrants in the country in return for money.
