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
Historic decree seeks to end decades of marginalization of Syria’s Kurds
DAMASCUS/RIYADH: A decree issued by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa on Friday marks a historic end to decades of marginalization of Syria’s Kurdish minority and seeks to open a new chapter based on equality and full citizenship in post-liberation Syria.
The presidential action, officially known as Decree No. 13, affirms that Syrian Kurds are an integral part of the national fabric and that their cultural and linguistic identity constitutes an inseparable element of Syria’s inclusive, diverse, and unified national identity.
Al-Sharaa’s move seeks to address the consequences of outdated policies that distorted social bonds and divided citizens.
The decree for the first time grants Kurdish Syrians rights, including recognition of Kurdish identity as part of Syria’s national fabric. It designates Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic and allows schools to teach it.
Al-Sharaa’s decree came after fierce clashes that broke out last week in the northern city of Aleppo, leaving at least 23 people dead, according to Syria’s health ministry, and forced more than 150,000 to flee the two Kurdish-run pockets of the city. The clashes ended after Kurdish fighters withdrew.
The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), that controls the country’s northeast, have engaged in months of talks last year to integrate Kurdish-run military and civilian bodies into Syrian state institutions by the end of 2025, but there has been little progress.
The end of an era of exclusion
For more than half a century, Kurds in Syria were subjected to systematic discriminatory policies, most notably following the 1962 census in Hasakah Governorate, which stripped thousands of citizens of their nationality and deprived them of their most basic civil and political rights.
These policies intensified after the now-dissolved Baath Party seized power in 1963, particularly following the 1970 coup led by criminal Hafez al-Assad, entrenching a state of legal and cultural exclusion that persisted for 54 years.
With the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, Syrian Kurds actively participated alongside other segments of society. However, the ousted regime exploited certain separatist parties, supplying them with weapons and support in an attempt to sow discord and fragment national unity.
Following victory and liberation, the state moved to correct this course by inviting the Kurdish community to fully integrate into state institutions. This approach was reflected in the signing of the “March 10 Agreement,” which marked an initial milestone on the path toward restoring rights and building a new Syria for all its citizens.
Addressing a sensitive issue through a national approach
Decree No. 13 offers a balanced legal and political response to one of the most sensitive issues in modern Syrian history. It not only restores rights long denied, but also redefines the relationship between the state and its Kurdish citizens, transforming it from one rooted in exclusion to one based on citizenship and partnership.
The decree shifts the Kurdish issue from a framework of conflict to a constitutional and legal context that guarantees meaningful participation without undermining the unity or territorial integrity of the state. It affirms that addressing the legitimate demands of certain segments strengthens, rather than weakens, the state by fostering equal citizenship, respecting cultural diversity, and embracing participatory governance within a single, centralized state.
Core provisions that restore dignity
The decree commits the state to protecting cultural and linguistic diversity, guaranteeing Kurdish citizens the right to preserve their heritage, develop their arts, and promote their mother tongue within the framework of national sovereignty. It recognizes the Kurdish language as a national language and permits its teaching in public and private schools in areas with significant Kurdish populations, either as an elective subject or as part of cultural and educational activities.
It also abolishes all laws and exceptional measures resulting from the 1962 Hasakah census, grants Syrian nationality to citizens of Kurdish origin residing in Syria, including those previously unregistered, and guarantees full equality in rights and duties. In recognition of its national symbolism as a celebration of renewal and fraternity, the decree designates Nowruz Day (21 March) as a paid official holiday throughout the Syrian Arab Republic.
A call for unity and participation
In a speech following the issuance of the decree, President Ahmad al-Sharaa addressed the Kurdish community, urging them not to be drawn into narratives of division and calling on them to return safely to full participation in building a single homeland that embraces all its people. He emphasized that Syria’s future will be built through cooperation and solidarity, not through division or isolation.
The decree presents a pioneering national model for engaging with diversity, grounded not in narrow identities but in inclusive citizenship, justice, and coexistence. The decree lays the foundations for a unified and strong Syria that respects all its components and safeguards its unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
