According to media reports, Tunisia’s National Guard systematically abandons migrants heading towards Europe in the desert. Denmark collaborates with the Tunisian National Guard, which has left migrants heading to Europe in the desert, where they risk losing their lives. This information comes after an international media collaboration between outlets such as The Washington Post, Le Monde, and El Pais. For example, migrants are being left in the desert at the border with Algeria. In December, several international humanitarian sources estimated that at least 5,500 were pushed towards the Libyan border and 3,000 towards Algeria. According to the sources, over 100 migrants lost their lives in the desert last summer. The Tunisian authorities have flatly denied the accusations. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Washington Post that Tunisia respects the human rights of migrants.
In November, the Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Kaare Dybvad Bek (S), visited Tunisia to inaugurate a training center for border guards supported by Denmark with 26 million Danish Krone. He told Jyllands-Posten that he disagrees with the idea of European countries outsourcing human rights violations to third countries. Dybvad Bek stated, “All our efforts in third countries must always be in line with our international and EU legal obligations.” He continued, “That is why we are working to promote a human rights-based approach to border and migration management with the Danish-supported initiatives in Tunisia.”
According to the EU’s border agency Frontex, 98,000 migrants arrived in Italy from Tunisia last year. This is the highest number ever recorded and three times more than in 2022. In the first 11 months of 2023, Tunisia’s National Guard apprehended 70,000 migrants, over twice as many as in 2022.