The migrant situation in Tunisia has become increasingly complex and dire, particularly throughout 2023. Tunisia, a key transit country for migrants aiming to reach Europe, has faced mounting challenges due to internal political shifts, economic instability, and international pressures.
Tunisia’s Role in Migration Routes
Tunisia’s geographic location along the southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea has made it a critical gateway for migrants attempting to reach Europe. Situated just across from Italy and Malta, Tunisia serves as a pivotal transit and departure point for many migrants, particularly those coming from sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria, Sudan, Eritrea, and Cameroon. These migrants are often fleeing extreme poverty, political instability, human rights abuses, and violent conflicts in their home countries. For many, the perilous journey begins with traveling north through the Sahara Desert and eventually reaching Tunisia’s coastal cities.
Among these coastal cities, Sfax has emerged as a significant and strategic hub for migrants preparing to embark on the dangerous sea crossing to Europe. The city’s port and proximity to international shipping routes make it a preferred departure point. However, the risks associated with these crossings are extremely high due to overcrowded boats, rough sea conditions, and the involvement of smuggling networks. The Mediterranean has become one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, with countless migrants losing their lives attempting the passage.
In 2023, the number of migrants intercepted by Tunisian authorities attempting this hazardous journey surged dramatically. Official figures reveal that nearly 70,000 migrants were stopped within Tunisia’s territorial waters or at departure points like Sfax, representing more than twice the number recorded in 2022. This sharp increase reflects growing migration pressures fueled by worsening conditions across sub-Saharan Africa and the broader region, as well as ongoing instability in Libya and other transit countries. The surge has also placed immense strain on Tunisian resources and authorities, who face the dual challenge of managing migration flows while contending with limited infrastructure and political complexities within their own borders.
This escalation underscores the urgency of addressing the root causes driving migration, the need for safer, legal migration pathways, and the importance of regional and international cooperation to prevent further loss of life and to protect the dignity and rights of migrants passing through Tunisia.
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Political Climate and Migration Policies
Since President Kais Saied assumed office, Tunisia has undergone a profound political transformation marked by increasing authoritarianism and a departure from the democratic gains made during the Arab Spring. In July 2021, Saied invoked emergency powers amid political turmoil and widespread protests, effectively suspending parliament and beginning a process of consolidating executive control. This move was initially met with mixed reactions—some Tunisians hoped it would bring stability to a country plagued by economic hardship and political deadlock, while others feared the erosion of democratic institutions.
Over the following months and years, Saied further centralized power by ruling through presidential decrees, bypassing the legislative branch altogether. He dissolved the independent judiciary, dismantling the legal checks and balances that are crucial for the rule of law. The judiciary, which had been instrumental in Tunisia’s democratic transition, saw many of its judges dismissed or sidelined, weakening judicial independence and increasing government control over legal processes. The media environment also suffered under his administration, with increased censorship and repression of critical voices. Journalists, activists, and opposition politicians faced intimidation, arrests, and legal harassment.
In this increasingly repressive political climate, President Saied’s rhetoric took a troubling turn with regard to sub-Saharan African migrants residing in or transiting through Tunisia. In February 2023, Saied publicly accused these migrants of being part of a “criminal plan” aimed at changing the country’s demographic makeup. His statements echoed and amplified xenophobic and racist attitudes that had already been present in some segments of Tunisian society but were now given tacit official endorsement. By framing sub-Saharan migrants as a threat to national identity and security, Saied’s discourse helped legitimize discriminatory practices and violence.
Following these remarks, there was a notable increase in hostility toward Black migrants, many of whom were subjected to arbitrary arrests, harassment, and violent attacks. Migrant communities reported heightened police brutality, forced expulsions, and deteriorating living conditions. The government’s hardline stance exacerbated social tensions and fostered an environment in which migrants, particularly those of African descent, became scapegoats for broader economic and political frustrations within Tunisia.
Human rights organizations and international observers condemned the administration’s rhetoric and policies, warning that such targeting violates Tunisia’s commitments under international law and undermines the country’s historic role as a refuge for those fleeing persecution. The combination of authoritarian governance and xenophobic policies has therefore not only deepened Tunisia’s political crisis but also intensified the humanitarian challenges faced by migrants trapped in precarious conditions.
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Humanitarian Crisis and Border Expulsions
The migrant crisis in Tunisia took a particularly alarming and violent turn in mid-2023, marking a dramatic escalation in the government’s approach to managing migration. Tensions reached a boiling point in the coastal city of Sfax, a major hub for sub-Saharan African migrants and one of the principal departure points for attempted crossings to Europe. Local residents and authorities expressed growing frustration with the presence of large migrant communities, often blaming migrants for social and economic issues, which contributed to a climate of hostility and xenophobia.
Amidst this tense atmosphere, Tunisian security forces launched a series of coordinated operations targeting Black African migrants. These operations resulted in the mass round-up and forced expulsions of thousands of migrants, including particularly vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and elderly individuals. The expulsions were not carried out through formal legal processes or with provisions for the migrants’ safety; rather, many were forcibly removed and transported to desolate and inhospitable areas along Tunisia’s borders with Libya and Algeria—regions characterized by harsh desert terrain, extreme temperatures, and lack of basic infrastructure.
These remote border zones offered no access to food, clean water, medical care, or shelter, leaving the expelled migrants exposed to life-threatening conditions. Numerous reports emerged of migrants succumbing to dehydration, heatstroke, and exhaustion, with some dying after being abandoned in the desert. The expulsions effectively amounted to collective punishment, with little regard for individual circumstances or rights.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other international organizations condemned the Tunisian government’s actions as severe violations of international law, particularly prohibitions against collective expulsions and forced displacement. HRW documented cases where migrants were rounded up and driven at gunpoint to border regions, sometimes under the threat or use of physical violence. Such treatment breaches Tunisia’s obligations under international refugee and human rights conventions, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to places where they face danger or persecution.
The forced expulsions were also widely criticized for their disregard of humanitarian norms and for the blatant targeting of Black African migrants, raising concerns about racial discrimination and xenophobia. These harsh measures not only deepened the migrants’ vulnerability but also underscored the failure of Tunisia’s authorities to develop humane and effective migration policies. The international community expressed alarm, calling for immediate humanitarian assistance, access to the affected populations, and an end to the abusive practices.
In sum, the mid-2023 expulsions represented one of the most severe episodes in Tunisia’s ongoing migrant crisis, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated regional and global efforts to protect migrants’ rights and address the root causes of migration.
European Union’s Involvement
In July 2023, the European Union (EU) formalized a significant partnership with Tunisia by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening border security and managing migration flows. Under this agreement, the EU committed €105 million in financial aid and technical assistance to Tunisian authorities. The funds were intended to support a range of measures, including improving border surveillance capabilities, enhancing search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean, training security personnel, and upgrading infrastructure to better control irregular migration.
The rationale behind the EU’s investment was rooted in a broader strategy to curb the number of migrants attempting perilous sea crossings to Europe, which have resulted in thousands of deaths over the past decades. By empowering Tunisia — a key transit country — the EU sought to reduce irregular migration routes, dismantle smuggling networks, and foster regional cooperation on migration management. The agreement was also part of the EU’s wider external migration policy that links development aid and cooperation to stricter border enforcement in partner countries.
However, since its implementation, the memorandum has attracted intense criticism from human rights organizations, migrant advocacy groups, and some international observers. Critics argue that while the funding ostensibly supports border management and humanitarian goals, in practice it has indirectly enabled and exacerbated human rights violations against migrants within Tunisia.
Reports have surfaced indicating that EU-funded equipment, such as patrol boats, surveillance drones, and vehicles, alongside technical resources provided for border control, have been used in operations leading to the violent interception, detention, and forced expulsions of migrants—particularly Black African migrants—from urban centers like Sfax to remote desert border areas. These operations, as documented by human rights monitors, have involved practices such as arbitrary arrests, physical abuse, and abandonment of migrants in inhospitable desert zones without access to food, water, or medical care.
Such actions have raised serious concerns that EU support is being channeled toward security measures that violate international human rights and refugee protection norms. The EU’s complicity is seen as indirect but significant: by financing Tunisia’s border enforcement apparatus without stringent safeguards, it risks legitimizing policies that lead to collective expulsions, racial discrimination, and the neglect of migrants’ fundamental rights.
Humanitarian groups have called on the EU to condition its financial support on clear human rights compliance, increased transparency, and accountability mechanisms to prevent abuses. They also emphasize the urgent need for the EU to expand safe and legal migration pathways, support integration programs, and address the root causes of forced migration, rather than focusing narrowly on border militarization.
The controversy surrounding the 2023 EU-Tunisia memorandum highlights the complex and often problematic dynamics between migration control and human rights in the Mediterranean region. It underscores the challenge of balancing security concerns with the ethical and legal obligation to protect vulnerable populations on the move.
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Ongoing Challenges and International Response
Despite mounting international condemnation and repeated calls from human rights organizations, the United Nations, and humanitarian agencies for unfettered access to vulnerable migrant populations in Tunisia, a significant number of migrants remain stranded, displaced, or entirely unaccounted for. The situation on the ground throughout 2023—and continuing into the latter months of the year—remained dire and fluid, with Tunisian authorities persisting in their policy of forcibly relocating migrants to remote and often dangerous border regions.
These continued expulsions involved sending migrants, including families with children, pregnant women, and elderly individuals, to harsh desert border zones adjacent to Libya and Algeria. These areas lack basic infrastructure and humanitarian services, leaving the displaced exposed to extreme weather conditions, food and water scarcity, and the threat of violence or exploitation by smugglers, traffickers, and local militias. Many migrants disappeared from official records after these forced removals, making it impossible for aid organizations to track their whereabouts or provide assistance.
The lack of transparency and accountability regarding the treatment and fate of these migrants has fueled international alarm. Humanitarian actors have repeatedly stressed that the forced expulsions and desert abandonments violate international legal protections, including the principles of non-refoulement and the prohibition of collective expulsions. Yet, despite this, the Tunisian government has maintained a hardline stance, citing national security concerns and public order as justification for their actions.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s continued cooperation and funding of Tunisia’s border enforcement efforts have exacerbated tensions and raised serious ethical and political questions. By sustaining financial and technical support without robust safeguards or conditionality based on respect for human rights, the EU risks being complicit in the violations occurring within Tunisia’s borders. Critics argue that this cooperation effectively outsources Europe’s migration control challenges to a country with documented histories of xenophobia, arbitrary detentions, and violent expulsions.
This arrangement has drawn sharp criticism from human rights defenders, who warn that such externalization policies prioritize border security over human dignity and protection. The EU’s approach is seen as symptomatic of a broader trend in European migration policy that seeks to deter migration by strengthening external borders and relying on third countries—often with weaker governance and protection frameworks—to manage and contain migratory flows.
The moral implications of this strategy are deeply troubling. It places vulnerable migrants at heightened risk while allowing European states to distance themselves from the humanitarian consequences of their restrictive migration policies. Calls for a more ethical and comprehensive approach have urged the EU to focus on expanding legal migration routes, investing in development and conflict resolution in migrants’ countries of origin, and enhancing protections for those in transit.
In summary, as forced expulsions and migrant disappearances continue in Tunisia, the ongoing EU-Tunisian cooperation reveals the complex intersection of migration management, human rights, and geopolitical interests—an intersection that demands urgent attention and reform to prevent further suffering and uphold international human rights standards.