The Libyan government says it has rescued many migrants from the desert on the Tunisian border. In a video from the Interior Ministry, people report that they were abandoned by Tunisian officials.
According to the Libyan Interior Ministry, the country’s border guards have rescued numerous migrants from the desert. The people are said to have been abandoned by security forces in Tunisia at the common national border. The migrants were taken to the nearby border village of Al-Assah in northern Libya, sources said.
Helpers from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and officials from the Libyan authorities provided them with food, clothing and temporary accommodation. The organization tweeted that it had cared for 191 people. The AFP news agency reported on Sunday evening that at least 80 migrants had been rescued.
In a video released by Libya’s Interior Ministry, two Nigerian men said they were beaten by members of the Tunisian military and taken with others to a desert area. The military officials had asked them to make their way to Libya.
Another man said the Tunisian military took their passports and then burned the documents. He was put in a vehicle with 35 other people and taken to the Libyan border. The group stayed in the desert for two days.
Human Rights Watch also raises allegations
Journalists from the AFP news agency said they saw the fugitives wandering in an uninhabited area near the Al Assah border town in Libyan territory. The people were visibly exhausted, lying thirsty in the sand and looking for shelter at temperatures of over 40 degrees.
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch accused Tunisian security forces of having collectively expelled hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers towards the border – including children and pregnant women.
They were left in a “remote, militarized buffer zone” with little food and no medical care. Security forces destroyed the mobile phones of almost all those affected. There have also been reports of violence and sexual assault.
According to the AFP news agency, the Tunisian Red Crescent rescued more than 600 migrants who had been forced into the desert in the past few days. According to Tunisian activists, up to 150 people were still in the desert areas near the border on Friday.
EU wants to expand cooperation with Tunisia
Together with Libya, Tunisia is one of the most important transit countries for migrants in North Africa on their way to Europe. Hostilities and harassment of sub-Saharan migrants have escalated in recent months after controversial remarks by Tunisian President Kais Saied. He had spoken of “hordes of irregular migrants”, accused them of “violence, crime and unacceptable behavior” and announced tougher action.
The EU Commission wants to expand cooperation with Tunisia on the issue of migration. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the heads of government of the Netherlands and Italy and Saied announced the signing of a declaration of intent on Sunday.
The EU Commission wants to make a good 100 million euros available for search and rescue operations and the repatriation of migrants. Brussels has promised the country financial aid totaling up to 900 million euros.