Tunisia and Libya on Thursday announced an agreement to share responsibility for hundreds of migrants stranded on the remote desert border between the two countries, where dozens have died in the past month. The government in Tunis has come under fire for its treatment of sub-Saharan migrants and is facing renewed scrutiny after deporting hundreds of people with no food or water to a desert buffer zone. Speaking at a meeting of the National Security Council in late February, he described the presence of sub-Saharan migrants as a "form of occupation" and part of a "criminal plan", sparking backlash at home and abroad. Only this week, at least 27 migrants were killed in two shipwrecks off Tunisia and the Western Sahara. Mr Saied's refusal to permit migrants to settle in Tunisia had thrown future IMF funding into jeopardy.

Source: Ethiopian News August 10, 2023 12:58 UTC