05 August 2023; MEMO: Tunisian Security Services have rescued 15,327 illegal migrants during the first half of 2023, Tunisian Interior Minister Kamal Feki announced on Friday.
According to Feki, 95 per cent of the migrants hold African or sub-Saharan identities.
He noted that the security services are carrying out a direct humanitarian follow-up in coordination with the relevant international organisations.
In order to address the crisis, the security forces have been closely collaborating with pertinent international organisations, providing a humanitarian response and conducting fieldwork.
The Tunisian minister considers what was reported by some international organisations untrue, especially a recent statement by the United Nations (UN) deputy spokesperson about the alleged treatment of African refugees and migrants on the Tunisian borders.
"We are deeply concerned about the expulsion of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from Tunisia to the borders with Libya and also Algeria. Several have died at the border with Libya and hundreds, including pregnant women and children, reportedly remain stranded in extremely dire conditions with little access to food and water," the UN deputy spokesperson told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.
