Tunisian leader Kais Saied spoke up on Sunday at a big event. He firmly rejected claims about signing papers with European nations to send Tunisian people back home. Radio station Mosaique FM shared his words after he talked during a ceremony near the coast. Saied made clear that any such deals happened before he took office in late 2019. He talked during a special day marking 25 years since former leader Habib Bourguiba died.
Saied also discussed how his country recently cleared camps where many African travelers stayed. He said Tunisia acted with care and good values when they removed these people from the Sfax area. The president claimed his team had stopped a secret plan to put these travelers in El Amra and Jebniana. He stressed that nobody used guns or harsh chemicals during this process. Saied insisted all the travelers received fair treatment throughout this action.
A non-government group tells a different story about past agreements. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights says Tunisia and Italy signed papers in January 2009. These papers created rules about sending Tunisian people back if they lived in Italy without permission. The two countries met again in April 2011 to change these rules. After these meetings, more and more people faced return trips to Tunisia each week. The numbers jumped from 40 people weekly to 80, then 160, and later even higher.
The group says nobody knows exactly how many people face deportation today. These arrangements started long before Saied won his election as president. He became Tunisia's leader through voting that happened in October 2019. Many questions remain about who speaks the truth regarding these agreements and how travelers truly experience treatment when forced to leave European countries.
Saied also discussed how his country recently cleared camps where many African travelers stayed. He said Tunisia acted with care and good values when they removed these people from the Sfax area. The president claimed his team had stopped a secret plan to put these travelers in El Amra and Jebniana. He stressed that nobody used guns or harsh chemicals during this process. Saied insisted all the travelers received fair treatment throughout this action.
A non-government group tells a different story about past agreements. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights says Tunisia and Italy signed papers in January 2009. These papers created rules about sending Tunisian people back if they lived in Italy without permission. The two countries met again in April 2011 to change these rules. After these meetings, more and more people faced return trips to Tunisia each week. The numbers jumped from 40 people weekly to 80, then 160, and later even higher.
The group says nobody knows exactly how many people face deportation today. These arrangements started long before Saied won his election as president. He became Tunisia's leader through voting that happened in October 2019. Many questions remain about who speaks the truth regarding these agreements and how travelers truly experience treatment when forced to leave European countries.
