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Alsharq Tribune- Sky
Tunisian authorities have dismantled makeshift camps housing 7,000 undocumented sub-Saharan African migrants and begun forcibly deporting some of them, a senior official told Reuters on Saturday, as the country grapples with an unprecedented migrant crisis.
Houssem Eddine Jebabli, an official in the National Guard, told Reuters a number of migrants was arrested for violence during the ongoing operation. He said their forced repatriation began Friday night and the authorities are also seeking to voluntarily repatriate thousands more.
He said the number forcibly deported was significant, without specifying how many, and that bladed weapons, including knives and swords, were seized.
Jabbabli added that investigations with the detainees showed their connections with foreign parties to spread confusion in the camps and in the surrounding areas.
The camps had prompted anger from residents in nearby villages, raising pressure on the authorities. Jebabli said locals had taken legal action over the occupation of their olive groves by the migrants.
Tunisia's government said about 20,000 of migrants live in tents in forests in southern towns, such as Amra and Jbeniana, after authorities prevented them from travelling across the Mediterranean.
Migrants have frequently clashed with local residents, who want them deported from their area.
Tunisian President Kais Saied on March 25 called on the International Organization for Migration to accelerate voluntary returns for irregular migrants to their home countries.
Tunisia has earned praise from Italian authorities in recent months for its progress in stemming the flow of thousands of migrants from sub-Sahran Africa who are trying to reach Europe in boats.
