On Monday, the Libyan Ministry of Interior announced that it had recovered the bodies of five migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, in a barren area near the border with Tunisia.
The ministry stated that security patrols discovered the bodies between the Zouara Al-Khass and Tawila Al-Rutba areas.
The fate of dozens of sub-Saharan Africans near the Libyan border has become uncertain, as they claim that Tunisian authorities transported them from the city of Sfax earlier this month.
The Tunisian government then reportedly moved them to shelters in two towns. Human rights groups have said that dozens are still stranded in extremely difficult conditions, left thirsty and hungry, in an unprecedented heatwave.
Tunisian President, Kais Saied condemned illegal migration from sub-Saharan Africa in February, saying it aimed to change the demographic structure of Tunisia. Rights groups criticized these statements as racist. The African Union also criticized Tunisia, and urged it to “avoid hate speech.”
Last week, the Ministry of Interior announced that it had prevented migrants coming from Tunisia from entering its territory, to avoid any security breaches. This has further exacerbated the crisis stranded on the border.
It explained in a statement that border guards had carried out desert patrols, and established new security checkpoints from Ras Ajdir to Wazen.
Earlier this month, at least 500 sub-Saharan migrants were transferred across Tunisia, after being pushed into a dangerous no-man’s-land on the Libyan border. The migrants were trapped for a week, without access to basic necessities, according to the Associated Press.
The group was driven out earlier this month, amid a spike in anti-migrant and racism-fuelled tensions, linked to a killing in the Tunisian port city of Sfax. The city remains a hub for traffickers organising risky, and often deadly boat journeys across the Mediterranean to Italy.
