By Enyichukwu Enemanna
No fewer than 300 Malian and Ivorian students in Tunisia on Saturday flew home with repatriation flights, fearing a possible wave of violence against migrants following the president’s decision to launch a clampdown on migrants.
Tunisian President, Kais Saied had last month ordered officials to take “urgent measures” to tackle irregular migration, alleging that “a criminal plot” was underway “to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup”.
The president alleged that migrants were behind most crime in the North African country, fuelling a spate of sackings, evictions and attacks.
A group of 135 Malian nationals arrived in Bamako late Saturday, an AFP journalist reported.
They were received by Defence Minister Sadio Camara and the minister for Malians living abroad Alhamdou Ag Ilyene, who explained that Mali’s government had chartered their plane.
The minister said 97 men, 25 women and 13 children had been on board.
In Abidjan, a flight carrying 145 passengers also landed late on Saturday. They were welcomed by Prime Minister Patrick Achi and several ministers, a report by AFP says.
They were taken to a reception centre, where they will spend three days receiving medical and psychological care before being reunited with their families.
The African Union had expressed “deep shock and concern” at president Saied’s remarks.
Since Saied gave his speech on February 21, rights groups have reported a spike in vigilante violence, including the stabbings of African migrants.
Many African migrants in Tunisia lost their jobs and homes overnight while dozens were arrested after identity checks, and some are still being detained.
Governments in sub-Saharan Africa are believed to be making efforts to repatriate their fear-gripped nationals who flock to their embassies for help.
