Tunisia: Despite Attacks On Sub Sahara Migrants, Nigeria Says It’s Still Consulting Before Evacuating Stranded Citizens

Weeks after the chaos in Tunisia started which saw sub-Sahara citizens being attacked openly in that country following unacceptable and disgraceful comments by its President, Kais Saied accusing them of crimes and trying to overrun his country, the Nigerian Government is consulting and considering whether to repatriate its citizens from Tunisia.

While some sub-Saharan African countries have been evacuating their nationals since last week, Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission office said that its already in consultation with the Nigerian Ambassador to Tunisia, Asari Allotey and the Nigerian community on a decision on evacuation but to date; and that those that have agreed to return to Nigeria are very few.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission [NIDCOM], in a statement last week said, “Here is an update on the situation in Tunisia, where blacks have been victims of racial attacks. Our Ambassador, Asari Allotey, is in consultation with the Nigerian Community, on a decision on evacuation.

“Those that have agreed to return to Nigeria are very few and the mission is working with the IOM to arrange tickets for them. Many others want to wait it out, praying it will soon pass, following the intervention of the AU and the African Group of Ambassadors.

“Though we don’t really have a large community of Nigerians in Tunisia as many of them are those rescued from the Mediterranean after a failed attempt to cross from Libya, the mission will update if they do request to return.”

President Saied in a meeting of Tunisia’s National Security Council on February 21, described alleged illegal border crossings from Sub-Saharan Africa into the North African country as a “criminal enterprise hatched at the beginning of this century to change the demographic composition of Tunisia.”

President Saied was also quoted as saying that the continuous illegal immigration aims is to turn Tunisia into “only an African country with no belonging to the Arab and Muslim worlds,” alleging that the ones behind the scheme are involved in human trafficking.

So far, the African Union has only issued condemnation of the Tunisian President’s statements, calling them “racial” and “shocking.”

“The Chairperson reminds all countries, particularly African Union Member States, to honour their obligations under international law and relevant African Union instruments to treat all migrants with dignity, wherever they come from, refrain from radicalized hate speech that could bring people to harm, and prioritize their safety and human rights.”

However, President Saied maintained that there is no racial discrimination in Tunisia and said “our African brothers residing in Tunisia legally” are welcome in the country.

Besides series of attacks on Nigerians and other citizens of other sub-Saharan African countries living in Tunisia, with some of the victims of the attacks killed, there has been no condemnation of the Tunisia authority by the European Union which many analysts have accused in the past for always promising financial incentives and instigating North African countries with close proximity to Europe to take extreme measures in preventing sub-Sahara migrants from using them as departure bases.

Sub-Saharan African countries which have started repatriating their nationals include Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina-Faso, Guinea, and Gabon.

By Our Reporter