Tunisia has become increasingly unsafe for refugees and migrants, particularly from Sub-Saharan Africa, amid a surge in human rights violations that Amnesty International says amount to a dangerous dismantling of protections and a humanitarian crisis.
In a newly released report titled “Nobody Hears You When You Scream: Dangerous Shift in Tunisia’s Migration Policy”, Amnesty International documents widespread abuses by Tunisian authorities over the past three years.
These include racially motivated arrests and detentions, violent and reckless sea interceptions, mass expulsions to desert border zones, and systemic mistreatment including torture and sexual violence, the NGO said.
“The Tunisian authorities have presided over horrific human rights violations, stoking xenophobia, while dealing blow after blow to refugee protection,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
The report is based on interviews with 120 refugees and migrants from nearly 20 countries, conducted between February and June 2023 in Tunis, Sfax, and Zarzis. Amnesty also reviewed official Tunisian sources, UN data, and civil society documentation.
Among the most harrowing accounts are testimonies of violent behavior by the Tunisian coastguard during sea interceptions. Migrants described being rammed, beaten, and subjected to tear gas. One Cameroonian woman recounted watching babies drown after coastguards pierced her boat with batons.
Since mid-2023, Amnesty says Tunisian authorities have expelled over 11,500 migrants-mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa- into remote desert areas near Libya and Algeria, often without food, water, or identification.
These expulsions, carried out without legal safeguards, violate international law and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to places where they face serious harm.
The crackdown has also targeted civil society organizations. At least eight NGO workers and two former officials have been arbitrarily detained since May 2024. The Tunisian Council for Refugees, one of the few groups providing critical support, faces trial later this month.
In June 2024, Tunisia ordered the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to cease processing asylum claims, effectively eliminating the country’s only legal pathway to asylum. Amnesty warns that this move has left thousands trapped in a country where their lives and rights are at risk.
Amnesty International shared its findings with Tunisian, European, and Libyan authorities ahead of publication but received no response.
Read more on North Africa Post
