Stranded in Tunisia: Thousands of Migrants Trapped Between Europe and Olive Groves
In the small town of El-Amra, Tunisia, the dream of reaching Europe for thousands of migrants has turned into a nightmare.
Located just 161 kilometers from the Italian islands that mark the EU's outermost borders, these migrants find themselves trapped in olive groves, unable to afford the journey to Europe or the cost of returning home.
Many have fled war, poverty, climate change, or persecution, and now seek shelter under tarps covered with blankets and ropes, waiting for their chance to board a smuggler's boat to Italy.
The UN's International Organization for Migration estimates that 15,000 to 20,000 migrants are stranded in these rural olive groves along the central Tunisian coastline.
Migrants have formed encampments in Tunisia due to anti-migration policies in the country and Europe, pushing them out of cities and increasing border control.
A 16-year-old named Mory Keita from Ivory Coast is among those who have moved to an encampment called Kilometer-16 after police destroyed their tents in Sfax last summer.
The encampments have grown in size as more migrants are prevented from crossing the Mediterranean.
At Kilometer-19 in Tunisia, named for its distance from Sfax, migrants often clash with each other due to nationality-based tensions, resulting in violent brawls.
Police do not ensure safety but instead disband encampments by force.
Keita, a migrant from Ivory Coast, paid a smuggler to take him through Mali and Algeria, dreaming of resettling in France.
He was arrested by Tunisia's coast guard while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea and returned to the beach without any processing.
Keita expressed fear for the safety of innocent people and the lack of intervention from authorities.
The European funds and support have enabled the coast guard to prevent a record-breaking number of migrants, including Keita, from making perilous sea journeys to Europe.
From January to May, over 53,000 migrants were stopped from crossing the maritime border to Europe, according to Interior Minister Kamel Fekih.
In contrast, only around 10,000 migrants managed to reach Italy from Tunisia during the same period in 2023, marking a significant decrease from the 23,000 who made the crossing in the same timeframe the previous year.
Many have fled war, poverty, climate change, or persecution, and now seek shelter under tarps covered with blankets and ropes, waiting for their chance to board a smuggler's boat to Italy.
The UN's International Organization for Migration estimates that 15,000 to 20,000 migrants are stranded in these rural olive groves along the central Tunisian coastline.
Migrants have formed encampments in Tunisia due to anti-migration policies in the country and Europe, pushing them out of cities and increasing border control.
A 16-year-old named Mory Keita from Ivory Coast is among those who have moved to an encampment called Kilometer-16 after police destroyed their tents in Sfax last summer.
The encampments have grown in size as more migrants are prevented from crossing the Mediterranean.
At Kilometer-19 in Tunisia, named for its distance from Sfax, migrants often clash with each other due to nationality-based tensions, resulting in violent brawls.
Police do not ensure safety but instead disband encampments by force.
Keita, a migrant from Ivory Coast, paid a smuggler to take him through Mali and Algeria, dreaming of resettling in France.
He was arrested by Tunisia's coast guard while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea and returned to the beach without any processing.
Keita expressed fear for the safety of innocent people and the lack of intervention from authorities.
The European funds and support have enabled the coast guard to prevent a record-breaking number of migrants, including Keita, from making perilous sea journeys to Europe.
From January to May, over 53,000 migrants were stopped from crossing the maritime border to Europe, according to Interior Minister Kamel Fekih.
In contrast, only around 10,000 migrants managed to reach Italy from Tunisia during the same period in 2023, marking a significant decrease from the 23,000 who made the crossing in the same timeframe the previous year.
Translation:
Translated by AI