TUNISI (ITALPRESS/MNA) (ITALPRESS) – A United Nations committee remarked that the number of arbitrary detentions of migrants from south of the Sahara has significantly increased throughout Tunisia since the beginning of February. Many of them continue to be detained, including in Ouardiàs administrative detention facility, where some migrants have been in detention for more than 18 months.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) urged Tunisiàs highest authorities to publicly condemn and distance themselves from racist hate speech. It also called upon the State to combat all forms of racial discrimination and racist violence against migrants especially from the south of the Sahara and black Tunisian citizens.
The Committee said it was alarmed by the remarks made by Tunisiàs Head of State in late February, alleging that “hordes of illegal migrants” arriving from African countries south of the Sahara were part of “a criminal plan to change the composition of the demographic landscape of Tunisia” and were the source “of violence, unacceptable crimes and practices”. The Committee declared that such remarks were in contravention of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Following the remarks made by Tunisiàs Head of State, hundreds of migrants from countries such as Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea and Senegal decided to return to their home countries and thousands of others left Tunisia on illegal boats, some of them lost their live, while trying to reach Italy. Many other migrants and refugees from the south of the Sahara were forcibly evicted from their houses or have lost employment, and sought protection and assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

– foto: agenziafotogramma.it

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews