Tunisia: Jebiniana and Al Amra unions announce strike against the presence of migrants

The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) of the Jebiniana and Al Amra communes in the Sfax governorate in central Tunisia threatened a strike to denounce “the deterioration of conditions in the region due to the presence of a large number of illegal migrants from sub-Saharan countries”. In a statement released in recent days, the workers’ organization said it was “coordinating with the regional structures to set the date of the strike in the two delegations as soon as possible and to try to ensure all the conditions for its success”.

The union stresses that “the increase in the number of illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan African countries is having an impact on the supply routes for basic foodstuffs, health care, jobs and the environment in the two communities”, in addition to the “spread of violence and knife attacks, thefts, break-ins and violations of the inviolability of homes by illegal immigrants”.

The situation in these areas of the North African country was at the heart of talks on Wednesday, June 10, between the President of the Republic Kais Saied, the Minister of the Interior Khaled Nouri and the Secretary of State in charge of National Security Sofiane Belsadiq. On this occasion, Saied reiterated the need to strengthen security in the cities of Jebiniana and Al Amra, stating that “Tunisia treats illegal migrants according to an approach based on human values, but cannot allow anyone to terrorize citizens under any pretext”. The President focused on “efforts to enforce the law, especially at this time marked by explicit attempts to incite society in various ways, in addition to the lobbies involved behind the scenes in the electoral process”. In the following hours, the Ministry of the Interior sent a massive troop deployment to the region, including police officers, special forces of the National Guard and anti-terrorist brigades.

For some time now, tensions have been brewing in Jebiniana and Al Amra between local communities and sub-Saharan people. The Ministry of Interior carried out several security operations, doubling police presence, arresting dozens of people involved in various ways in promoting illegal immigration, including members of associations that helped illegal immigrants obtain residence permits in the country illegally. A member of the Jebiniana municipal council, Omar Manser, stated that “the security forces that have arrived at the Al Amra and Jebiniana delegations, following the instructions of the President of the Republic, are inadequate in the face of repeated attacks on residents and the theft of their property compared to the enormous number of illegal immigrants living in the region.”

Read other news on Nova News

Click here and get updates on WhatsApp

Follow us on Nova News’ social channels on ÞjórsárdalurLinkedIn, Instagram, Telegram