President Kais Saied has alleged that undocumented immigration from sub-Saharan African countries is aimed at changing Tunisia’s demographic composition, drawing criticism from human rights activists.
His comments during a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday followed the arrests of dozens of migrants this month in a crackdown. “The undeclared goal of the successive waves of illegal immigration is to consider Tunisia a purely African country that has no affiliation to the Arab and Islamic nations,” Saied said, adding that the influx of irregular migrants must quickly be ended.
Activists, who had this week already condemned what they call hate speech directed at African migrants, said the president’s comments were racist. Black Tunisians have a long history in the country, making up 10 percent to 15 percent of the population, and rights groups have said the country has not done enough to address racism.
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