Two days after the press briefing by the Deputy Spokeman for the United Nations Secretary-General Farhan Haq, in which he criticised the Tunisian authorities’ treatment of sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia, Interior Minister Kamel Feki gave a statement to TAP news agency on Thursday to take stock of a number of key points.
The Minister stated that what has just been published by certain international organisations, in particular by the UN Secretary-General deputy spokesperson on August 1, 2023, on the need to protect African refugees and migrants at the Tunisian border, are “imprecise” and are more akin to “untruths”.
He added that the allegations and claims of arbitrary expulsion operations are completely unfounded, calling on the UN bodies verify the information before rushing to publish it.
In this respect, he warned against the harmful repercussions of the publication of such erroneous information on the performance and actions of the security services, which, he said, spare no means and no effort in lending a helping hand to irregular migrants stranded at Tunisia’s land and sea borders.
Backed by figures, the Minister of the Interior reported that more than 15,327 irregular migrants had been rescued by the Tunisian security forces between January and July 2023, 95% of whom were nationals of sub-Saharan African countries.
The Minister of the Interior also reaffirmed the Tunisian state’s commitment to respecting human rights and stressed that he was closely monitoring the humanitarian treatment and actions of the security forces on the ground, in coordination with the relevant international organisations, in particular the Tunisian Red Crescent.
In response to the UN’s “allegations” regarding the expulsion of illegal African migrants, the Minister clarified that this matter was being dealt with in accordance with Tunisian law and in compliance with the provisions of international treaties, adding that the Tunisian State could in no way be held responsible for events outside its territorial borders.
He also pointed out that the “untruths” spread by certain media could in no way be attributed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who he described as “a person of integrity, honesty, firmness and professionalism, with proven competence in diplomatic and international customs and practices. “
However, Minister Fekih made it clear that the sovereignty of states and the protection of their territories could no longer depend on “inaccurate and imprecise” statements made by third-level officials of the UN organisation.
He reaffirmed that this “media outcry” could in no way affect or damage the fraternal relations between Tunisia and its Libyan and Algerian brothers, just as it could in no way diminish the determination and commitment of the Tunisian security services to vigorously combat the threat of terrorism, smuggling and trafficking in human beings, and to confront anything that could harm human dignity.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse