Tunis — In an overnight operation between Saturday and Sunday, National Guard and Public Security forces dismantled the largest gathering of irregular sub-Saharan migrants in the governorate of Sfax.
The migrants had established makeshift camps in the rural areas of El Amra and Jebeniana.
The clearance operation, which began last Thursday, involved multiple security units, civil protection teams, and the Tunisian Red Crescent.
It targeted unauthorised settlements in agricultural zones that had, for decades, been vital to local olive farmers but had since the years after the revolution of December 17, 2010 / January 14, become a major hub for sub-Saharan migrants.
Amidst the sprawling olive groves, the area now bears scars of plastic waste, human refuse, and dug-up earth that has altered the soil's composition.
"These olives were our livelihood before they became what they are now," said farmer Ahmed Ben Hamadi, saying that the eviction of irregular migrants from his four-hectare farm has given him a glimmer of hope to revive his land.
On Saturday morning, Ahmed Ben Hamadi got into his tractor and drove to his land in "Henchir 24" in the village of Ketatna in the El Amra district, he told TAP news agency, adding that he was continuing to plough his land to reclaim it after the migrants had "wreaked havoc" on it.
The speaker said he did not know why sub-Saharan African migrants chose his land and that of his neighbours to set up their camps, but the proximity of this area to the coast, where the camp is only a few kilometres from the sea, is the main source of stability for these migrants, as a significant part of them choose to complete their irregular journey by sea in order to reach the northern shore of the Mediterranean in Europe.
"The situation of these irregular migrants raises fears of epidemics and disease transmission in the absence of any safety and health standards, and a significant proportion of these migrants have not been vaccinated against many diseases," Aymen Maaoui, head of the local council in El Amra, told TAP.
Maaoui praised what he described as "the sobriety of the security intervention in defusing the situation of irregular migrants in the region", adding that the evacuation of the informal camps was an important step towards resolving the irregular migration crisis.
He stressed the need for vigilance and concerted efforts between residents and local and regional authorities to overcome the damage caused by the informal camps that have plagued residents for years, noting that the evacuation of the informal camps brings reassurance and hope to the people of the region to protect and secure their private property.
Farmer Ahmed Ben Hamadi reveals the worst side of the situation of small farmers affected by the land taken by sub-Saharan migrants who have set up informal camps in the El Amra and Jebeniana districts, confirming that he and his farming neighbours have been forcibly evicted by these migrants.
Land that used to be planted annually with legumes and crops, shaded by olive trees, has become barren within a few years due to the presence of thousands of migrants, some of whom have been looting irrigation canals to use as stakes for their tents, he said.
Some olive trees have had their branches cut off because sub-Saharan migrants light them to protect themselves from the cold and also use them for cooking over a wood fire," he said, adding that the evacuation of the informal camps offers hope for the revival of farmland in the El Amra and Jebeniana districts.
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"We thank the security forces and the National Guard who carried out the campaign to evacuate our agricultural land, and we hope that the municipal services will help us remove the remaining waste so that we can reclaim our reclaimed land."
The Civil Protection, the Tunisian Red Crescent, regional and local authorities and the Ministries of Health, Social Affairs and Agriculture participated in the implementation of the campaign to evacuate the informal camps.
The evacuation of informal camps in the districts of El Amra and Jebeniana is a step towards removing irregular sub-Saharan migrants from private agricultural land in preparation for their deportation under a voluntary return programme to be implemented in coordination with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
