Tunisia has repatriated about 10,000 irregular migrants so far this year, most of whom are from sub-Saharan African countries.
The nation’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Ali Nafti, who addressed lawmakers on Tuesday, said the repatriations were carried out through a voluntary return programme implemented in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Ali explained that “weekly flights were organised to facilitate the migrants’ return to their home countries.”
The Foreign Minister reiterated Tunisia’s position to its European partners that the country “will not become a transit zone.”
Official data shows that Tunisia repatriated around 7,200 migrants in 2024 under the same initiative, and authorities plan to continue the exercise to address the ongoing migration challenge.
Thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are currently living in temporary shelters in southern Tunisian towns such as Amra and Jbeniana after being stopped from crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.
Reports indicate that increased security measures along Tunisia’s maritime borders have contributed to a significant drop in the number of migrants reaching Europe this year.