The African Union (AU) has strongly condemned the shocking statements made by the Tunisian authorities against African migrants, which go against the letter and the spirit of the Pan-African Organization.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat “strongly condemns the shocking statements made by the Tunisian authorities against fellow Africans, which go against the letter and the spirit of our Organization and our founding principles”.
“On behalf of the President, the Vice-President, Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, and the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Amb. Minata Samate, received the Permanent Representative of Tunisia accredited to the African Union in order to express the serious concerns of the African Union as to the form and content of the declaration targeting fellow Africans, notwithstanding their legal status in the country,” the statement read.
The President “reminds all countries, in particular the Member States of the African Union, that they must honor their obligations under international law and the relevant instruments of the African Union, namely to treat all migrants with dignity, wherever they come from, refrain from any hate speech of a racist nature, likely to harm people, and give priority to their safety and their fundamental rights”, underlines the press release.
On Tuesday, Tunisian President Kais Saied advocated “urgent measures” to end and “as soon as possible” the phenomenon of the massive influx of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to Tunisia.
Quoted in a press release from the Tunisian presidency, Saied, who chaired a meeting of the National Security Council, noted that this situation is “far from normal”, especially since the crowds of irregular migrants from Africa sub-Saharan continue to flow into Tunisia.