Many refer to the debunked but widely shared claim that there are 2 million sub-Saharan Africans in the country of 12 million. The sudden rise in public expressions of racism occurred in the weeks after Tunisian President Kais Saied delivered a widely criticized tirade about undocumented migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. His actions, they say, have unleashed xenophobia and exposed the dark underbelly of anti-Black racism in the country. Marks of NYU Abu Dhabi has collected testimonies from several migrants facing racism in Tunisia and has documented their plight on Twitter. Marks said Saied’s targeting of African migrants was linked to his “political witch hunts,” referring to the government’s crackdown on dissidents.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 19, 2023 14:40 UTC