North African country in migrant crisis makes 7-word vow to Europe

Tunisia has told Europe it 'will not become a transit zone' for migrants (Image: Getty)

Since the start of the year, Tunisia has repatriated around 10,000 irregular migrants, the majority coming from sub-Saharan African countries, the country's foreign minister has said. The North African nation is facing growing pressure from the European Union to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean.

According to Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti, the repatriations were carried out through a voluntary return programme coordinated with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with weekly flights arranged to help migrants return home. Tunisia repatriated about 7,200 migrants in 2024 under the same initiative, according to official data and aims to continue returning the remaining migrants until "the phenomenon is eliminated," it said. The minister also made a vow to Tunisia's European partners.

Sub-Saharan African migrants have been living in tents in the forests near southern towns like Amra and Jbeniana (Image: Getty)

Mr Nafti said on Tuesday that Tunisia had reiterated to its European partners that "it will not become a transit zone".

The North African country, which is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east, is facing a migration crisis. Thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, including countries like Sudan, Chad, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, have been living in tents in the forests near southern towns like Amra and Jebiniana after authorities prevented them from crossing the sea to reach Europe.

A series of coups d’état in the Sahel, together with the climate crisis and deteriorating living conditions, compelled thousands of people to leave their homelands.

The Tunisian coastal city of Sfax is a key linchpin for smuggling operations (Image: Getty)

A migration agreement signed in 2017 between the Italian government and Libya, supported by the EU, allocated funds for the establishment of detention centres and the transformation of armed groups into coast guards. This agreement inadvertently steered sub-Saharan migrants toward favouring entry into Tunisia over Libya.

Since Libya descended into civil war in 2019, even larger numbers began entering Tunisia.

The coastal city of Sfax is a key linchpin for smuggling operations.