TUNIS: The bodies of at least two migrants have been found in a desert region near Tunisia’s border with Algeria, a judicial official and a witness said on Tuesday.
Hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan countries have fled or been forced out of Tunisia’s port city of Sfax after racial tensions flared following the July 3 killing of a Tunisian man in an altercation between locals and migrants.
Many have been left to fend for themselves in harsh conditions in remote desert areas near Tunisia’s borders with Algeria and with Libya.
Around 10 days ago one body was found in the Hazoua desert (near Algeria’s border) and another was discovered on Monday night, Nizar Skander, a spokesman for the court in the southeastern Tozeur district, told AFP.
“Both bodies are of men, and rescuers have recovered the one found yesterday,” a witness, who declined to be identified for security reasons, added.
The witness, a local merchant, told AFP that in one week two convoys were seen transporting migrants to the desert, with nearly 100 left in the vicinity of Hazoua.
“Many of these migrants are trying to reach oases in the area where residents give them food and water,” the witness said.
Skander said the authorities have launched a “dubious death” investigation to determine the exact cause of the two deaths.
The crackdown on migrants in Sfax — a departure point for many hoping to reach Europe — erupted after the funeral of the 41-year-old Tunisian man who had been stabbed to death.
Aid and rights groups have called for the stranded migrants to be helped as a matter of urgency.
According to Human Rights Watch, many migrants near the border with Algeria “risk their lives” if they are not provided with immediate assistance.
The watchdog estimates that there are between 150 and 200 migrants in that region.
Several days ago HRW carried a report quoting witnesses as saying that “several” migrants had died near the Algerian border.
Mamadou, a migrant from Guinea who gave only his first name, spoke to AFP on Monday by phone from the Algerian side of the border.
“Please help us. If you can send the Red Cross here, help us, otherwise we will die. There is nothing here. There’s no food, there’s no water,” he said.
He could not be reached again by phone on Tuesday.
Tunisia has seen a rise in racially motivated attacks after President Kais Saied in February accused “hordes” of undocumented migrants of bringing violence to the country, and alleging a “criminal plot” to change its demographic make-up.
At least 2 migrants found dead at Tunisia-Algeria border
https://arab.news/4b4z9
At least 2 migrants found dead at Tunisia-Algeria border
- Around 10 days ago one body was found in the Hazoua desert and another was discovered on Monday night
- Hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan countries have fled or been forced out of Tunisia’s port city of Sfax after racial tensions flared
UN chief condemns Israeli law blocking electricity, water for UNRWA facilities
- The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, a UN spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the move would “further impede” the agency’s ability to operate and carry out activities.
“The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel. Property used by UNRWA is inviolable,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, said while adding that UNRWA is an “integral” part of the world body.
UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini also condemned the move, saying that it was part of an ongoing “ systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct” the role it plays in providing assistance to Palestinian refugees.
In 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a law banning the agency from operating in the country and prohibiting officials from having contact with the agency.
As a result, UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, which the UN considers territory occupied by Israel. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be part of the country.
The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.
The prohibition of basic utilities to the UN agency came as Israel also suspended of dozens of international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza due to a failure to meet new rules to vet those groups.
In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom said on Tuesday such a move would have a severe impact on the access of essential services, including health care. They said one in three health care facilities in Gaza would close if international NGO operations stopped.
