The limbo of migrants trapped in Tunisia: unable to cross into Italy or return home.
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Smoke is already rising from what remains of the makeshift camp. In some places, the flames continue to lick at the remains of a precarious life: a spoon, a plastic sheeting that served as a tent, crib linen, a packet of condoms... On April 24, the Tunisian National Guard razed two migrant camps in Jbeniana and El Amra (in the east of the country). That day, the media was invited to cover the operation, but other dismantling took place far from the cameras. Several thousand people, originally from sub-Saharan Africa, were displaced.Severine SajousBahri Ghali owns one of the two olive groves from which migrants were evicted on April 24. “I live off my land, and for two years now, the situation has become unbearable. Groups of African migrants have settled in my fields. They uprooted my olive trees, destroyed my crops, and broke the irrigation systems. They even took the pipes to build shelters. I can no longer plant anything or harvest. Some areas of my land have been converted into soccer fields. Trees are cut down, and the equipment disappears. Sometimes, I am forced to give money to certain groups of migrants, just so they don’t destroy everything. I give about 100 dinars (29 euros) every two or three weeks. But if I pay one group, another arrives. There is no lasting solution. It’s not normal that I have to pay to access my own land!” complains the farmer.Severine Sajous The only way out for these migrants is the voluntary return program of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In 2024, 7,250 people benefited from it in Tunisia. By the end of April 2025, a total of 2,553 people had returned to their countries of origin, according to Tunisian authorities. “Sub-Saharan migrants sometimes have to wait six to eight months to return to their country after registering with the IOM. The pace is very slow. The Tunisian government is making a great effort with their countries of origin to organize voluntary return procedures with the IOM,” acknowledges Colonel Major Houssemeddine Jebabli. srcset="https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/WJFHBDAH35HSDBNO4VOZY4JIHQ.jpg?auth=9812c6dabcef7d43006a3cff18db97b036dd172339c10c8ddcb3f6f465fad668&width=414 414w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/WJFHBDAH35HSDBNO4VOZY4JIHQ.jpg?auth=9812c6dabcef7d43006a3cff18db97b036dd172339c10c8ddcb3f6f465fad668&width=828 640w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/WJFHBDAH35HSDBNO4VOZY4JIHQ.jpg?auth=9812c6dabcef7d43006a3cff18db97b036dd172339c10c8ddcb3f6f465fad668&width=980 1000w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/WJFHBDAH35HSDBNO4VOZY4JIHQ.jpg?auth=9812c6dabcef7d43006a3cff18db97b036dd172339c10c8ddcb3f6f465fad668&width=1960 1960w" width="414" sizes="(min-width:1199px) 1155px,(min-width:1001px) calc(100vw - 44px),(min-width:768px) 767px, 100vw" src="https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/WJFHBDAH35HSDBNO4VOZY4JIHQ.jpg?auth=9812c6dabcef7d43006a3cff18db97b036dd172339c10c8ddcb3f6f465fad668&width=414">The dismantling operations last April expelled more than 12,000 migrants from various locations in Sfax governorate, according to Tunisian authorities, who claim to be acting on judicial orders following complaints from landowners. Tunisia insists it does not want to become a transit country or a settlement area. However, it does not propose any immediate solution for the migrants, who number between 20,000 and 30,000, according to Tunisian government estimates. Their only option is to travel a few meters with whatever belongings they can carry. The Mediterranean route to Italy is almost closed. Only 1,129 migrants arrived in the country between January 1 and May 29, according to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. In the same period in 2023, there were more than 18,000. It was the same year that Tunisia and the European Union signed an agreement to combat illegal immigration, under which Brussels pledged €255 million to the North African country.
The only way out for these migrants is the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) voluntary return program. In 2024, 7,250 people benefited from it in Tunisia. By the end of April 2025, a total of 2,553 people had returned to their country of origin, according to Tunisian authorities. "Sub-Saharan migrants sometimes have to wait six to eight months to return to their country after registering with the IOM. The pace is very slow. The Tunisian government is making significant efforts with countries of origin to organize voluntary return procedures with the IOM," acknowledges Colonel Major Houssemeddine Jebabli.Severine SajousIn the migrant camps that still exist, such as this one located at kilometer 25 before Sfax, the organization borders on self-sufficiency. The camp has a soccer field, three mosques, a shop, a café where phones can be charged with a generator, and two community restaurants. All of this infrastructure was built with plastic sheeting and recycled irrigation pipes. Residents wash with water from a well located in the neighboring camp.Severine SajousMuslim migrants pray in a camp.Severine Sajous She attempted to cross the sea four times. The first time, her boat capsized and three of her friends died. The second time, she was intercepted near Lampedusa and then expelled into the desert. She was almost sexually assaulted, but her current partner defended her. On the third attempt, fishermen stole the motor. On the fourth, on April 9, her boat took on water: “I had to hold my baby up so she wouldn't drown.”
He signed up for the voluntary return program, but the IOM told him there was no room. “We've suffered too much here,” he says. "He just wants to go back to Guinea and work." srcset="https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EVYSLTO37RDILPHXOW4UEFERZ4.jpg?auth=02411c0c9025553b0c90e5a940ef4b18d075d9ddaf732730d4dd3680e2103ca8&width=414 414w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EVYSLTO37RDILPHXOW4UEFERZ4.jpg?auth=02411c0c9025553b0c90e5a940ef4b18d075d9ddaf732730d4dd3680e2103ca8&width=828 640w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EVYSLTO37RDILPHXOW4UEFERZ4.jpg?auth=02411c0c9025553b0c90e5a940ef4b18d075d9ddaf732730d4dd3680e2103ca8&width=980 1000w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EVYSLTO37RDILPHXOW4UEFERZ4.jpg?auth=02411c0c9025553b0c90e5a940ef4b18d075d9ddaf732730d4dd3680e2103ca8&width=1960 1960w" width="414" sizes="(min-width:1199px) 1155px,(min-width:1001px) calc(100vw - 44px),(min-width:768px) 767px, 100vw" src="https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EVYSLTO37RDILPHXOW4UEFERZ4.jpg?auth=02411c0c9025553b0c90e5a940ef4b18d075d9ddaf732730d4dd3680e2103ca8&width=414">Aminata, 27, arrived alone from Guinea after losing her parents. She wanted to help her brothers and sisters. She lived in the camp at kilometer 26 in southern Tunisia until the police set it on fire. Since then, she has lived at kilometer 25 with her son Ismaël, who was born in this makeshift tent.
She attempted to cross the sea four times. The first time, her boat capsized and three of her friends died. The second time, she was intercepted near Lampedusa and then expelled into the desert. She was almost sexually assaulted, but her current partner defended her. On the third attempt, fishermen stole the motor. On the fourth, on April 9, her boat took on water: “I had to hold my baby up so she wouldn't drown.”
She signed up for the voluntary return program, but the IOM told her there was no room. “We’ve suffered too much here,” she says. She just wants to return to Guinea and work.Severine Sajous Mohamed Ali refused to give it to him. He received a machete blow to the hand. The attackers fled when the police arrived." srcset="https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/STUSVKFXKBASNMLDGZWWMVXHYQ.jpg?auth=6b4cebbe600663cc7e2af66f638d9ef92b072fbadade9a64dfb22ff64dd4fafd&width=414 414w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/STUSVKFXKBASNMLDGZWWMVXHYQ.jpg?auth=6b4cebbe600663cc7e2af66f638d9ef92b072fbadade9a64dfb22ff64dd4fafd&width=828 640w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/STUSVKFXKBASNMLDGZWWMVXHYQ.jpg?auth=6b4cebbe600663cc7e2af66f638d9ef92b072fbadade9a64dfb22ff64dd4fafd&width=980 1000w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/STUSVKFXKBASNMLDGZWWMVXHYQ.jpg?auth=6b4cebbe600663cc7e2af66f638d9ef92b072fbadade9a64dfb22ff64dd4fafd&width=1960 1960w" width="414" sizes="(min-width:1199px) 1155px,(min-width:1001px) calc(100vw - 44px),(min-width:768px) 767px, 100vw" src="https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/STUSVKFXKBASNMLDGZWWMVXHYQ.jpg?auth=6b4cebbe600663cc7e2af66f638d9ef92b072fbadade9a64dfb22ff64dd4fafd&width=414">Mohamed Ali was attacked in El Amra while trying to withdraw a money transfer sent by his mother. He was with four friends when a group of young Tunisian men followed them to a currency exchange office. After forcing them to buy cigarettes and coffee, they demanded the money.
Mohamed Ali refused to give it to him. He received a machete blow to the hand. The attackers fled when the police arrived.Severine SajousMigrants and local residents are suffering a situation that continues with no clear solution. According to the law, the former are not allowed to work or rent a home; the latter are reporting an increase in robberies and assaults. However, in this tense climate, there are signs of solidarity.
Khelil, a farmer who couldn't find labor for his broad bean harvest, decided to hire three young sub-Saharan Africans for 30 dinars a day (8.75 euros), the local rate. He praises their motivation and the quality of their work. "If this allows them to eat and survive, there will be less theft. Hunger explains everything," he says, declining to reveal his full identity for fear of legal retribution.Severine SajousAt the Jbniana market, migrants and locals coexist. Sub-Saharan Africans sell exotic products that Tunisians discover.Severine SajousOther activities take place around the camps. Chicken vendors travel around the region, while young men on motorcycles deliver food and medicine to people too scared to move. Nabil (not his real name) says he rented his electricity connection for 250 dinars (72 euros) to another man. “It started at five o'clock. Six hours later, everything was ready. Then the police arrived. They confiscated everything.” Arrested, Nabil was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He describes harsh conditions and a tense atmosphere. “There were between 150 and 160 people per cell. Of that number, at least 50 were African migrants. Two to three Tunisians slept on each mattress. Black people slept on the floor.” His prison experience caused him to relapse into alcoholism. Now he says he is preparing to reach Europe clandestinely.Severine Sajous “Women are alone here. I was afraid, so we put up bars. They cost us 1,500 dinars (437 euros), and we still haven't finished paying them off.” Souad says she understands migrants, because Tunisians migrate too. “There's nothing here,” she laments. She lost her son, Badr, in 2011 while trying to cross the sea to Europe and now fears her younger son will try too. “Migrants are looking for the same thing as my son: a dignified life. I have also given them food and drink, even if I live in poverty. We are a people who know how to welcome. That is our Muslim spirit.” https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/4CSGQF7DVREC7E65F2XKUTOUEA.jpg?auth=5aca07224ab138f120a90933a2c58dafc3dff01927b131932f5e3b0704a7ad63&width=828 640w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/4CSGQF7DVREC7E65F2XKUTOUEA.jpg?auth=5aca07224ab138f120a90933a2c58dafc3dff01927b131932f5e3b0704a7ad63&width=980 1000w, https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/4CSGQF7DVREC7E65F2XKUTOUEA.jpg?auth=5aca07224ab138f120a90933a2c58dafc3dff01927b131932f5e3b0704a7ad63&width=1960 1960w" width="414" sizes="(min-width:1199px) 1155px,(min-width:1001px) calc(100vw - 44px),(min-width:768px) 767px, 100vw" src="https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/4CSGQF7DVREC7E65F2XKUTOUEA.jpg?auth=5aca07224ab138f120a90933a2c58dafc3dff01927b131932f5e3b0704a7ad63&width=414">For many Tunisians, the massive influx of migrants has left them feeling unsafe. Souad, a resident of El Amra, has installed bars on the windows of his house.
“Women are alone here. I was afraid, so we put up bars. They cost us 1,500 dinars (437 euros), and we still haven't finished paying them off.” Souad says she understands migrants, because Tunisians migrate too. “There's nothing here,” she laments. She lost her son, Badr, in 2011 while trying to cross the sea to Europe and now fears that her youngest son will also try. “Migrants are looking for the same thing as my son: a dignified life. I've also given them food and drink, even though I live in poverty. We are a people who know how to welcome. That's our Muslim spirit.”Severine SajousIn Ouled Mabrouk, a place of passage and departure, the empty houses silently welcome those hoping to set sail before dawn, although these attempts are becoming increasingly rare. Among residents and those passing through, a fragile but tenacious hope persists that, perhaps one day, the sea will open up again.Severine Sajous
