Tunisia: UN report denounces violence against migrants at sea

The UN Human Rights Council published a damning report this Monday, October 14, denouncing the mistreatment inflicted on migrants in Tunisia. This document highlights worrying practices, directly pointing the finger at the Tunisian coast guard and security forces.

The report mentions physical violence at sea, attempts to capsize migrant boats, as well as forced transfers to neighboring countries such as Libya and Algeria. According to experts, some migrants were even victims of gunfire as they tried to turn back.

These revelations are not new for NGOs specializing in sea rescue. These organizations regularly report cases of boats boarded by the Tunisian authorities, sometimes stripped of their engines and fuel reserves, before letting the migrants drift off the coast of the ribs.

According to the report, between January and July last year, 265 people lost their lives during interception operations at sea, while 189 others died during crossings. In addition, 95 migrants are missing.

These practices are all the more worrying since, this summer, Tunisia obtained an extension of the maritime zone under its control for rescue operations at sea. NGOs, like SOS Méditerranée, consider Tunisia unsecure for the disembarkation of migrants and denounce the complicity of the European Union, which, according to them, delegates the management of its borders to third countries in the south of the Mediterranean, such as Tunisia.