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Italy Warns Europeans of Huge Wave of Migrants from Tunisia

African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)
African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)
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Italy Warns Europeans of Huge Wave of Migrants from Tunisia

African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)
African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that Tunisia could export 900,000 irregular migrants to Europe, unless the current crisis in the country is resolved.

“Maybe not everyone is aware of the risks we are facing about the Tunisia situation and the need to support stability in a nation that has serious financial problems,” Meloni told reporters after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

“If we do not address those problems in the right way, (the situation) risks unleashing a wave of migration which is objectively unprecedented,” she said.

Meloni stressed that her country was “incapable” of receiving and sheltering the migrants, calling for the need to push for an agreement between the Tunisian state and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in order to obtain the required loan to save the country’s public finances.

The Italian premier emphasized the need to support Tunisia, which is facing a serious financial crisis, saying: “If we do not adequately address those problems, we risk unleashing an unprecedented wave of migration.”

She added that she had discussed the Tunisian crisis with French President Emmanuel Macron during a bilateral meeting late Thursday, which she described as “very productive.”

Meloni said she had also reviewed the situation with EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, who she said would visit Tunisia in the coming days.

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell warned Monday that Tunisia risks collapse “economically or socially”, which could trigger a new flow of migrants to Europe.

The Italian premier’s warnings coincided with the Tunisian authorities announcing the death of 34 migrants, and the survival of four, after a boat sank off the Tunisian coast of Sfax.

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UN: Situation in West Darfur ‘Catastrophic’

A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 
A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 
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UN: Situation in West Darfur ‘Catastrophic’

A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 
A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) said on Sunday there is a “massive” need for humanitarian assistance in North Darfur, adding that situation in the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps is catastrophic.

“Civilians are trapped. Aid cannot reach those who need it most,” the office said on its X account, adding that displaced people in the Tawila camp are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Meanwhile, Salwa Abdullah, a Darfur resident, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that she buried her five children in the Darfur desert, with no sign to locate their graves if she ever came back to visit them.

“How can I survive without them,” she said.

Salwa dug their graves with the help of her father, during their journey from al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, to the relatively safe town of Tawila.

Speaking on the phone while crying, she said, “I tried to get them to a safe area, away from shells and bullets. I didn’t imagine they will die of thirst and then buried in a vast desert with no sign to mark their graves, only small sand hills that will disappear from wind and rain.”

Salwa’s oldest child was 13. She said she watched her five children struggle to death one by one, after they spent several days on the road to Tawila, located some 65 kilometers from al-Fasher, the last major city controlled by the Sudanese Army in the Darfur region, which has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces for the past year.

“In just two days I lost two daughters and three sons, and shortly before, I lost my husband. I still ignore if he is alive or dead. Even if I find him how can I tell him that his five children are dead,” said Salwa, who is in her forties.

“I cried a lot hoping my tears will wake them up from their coma. I can't describe my feelings back then. I wished I was dead instead.”

Salaw, who is pregnant, said the family left al-Fasher on foot carrying water bottles. “But due to high temperatures during the daytime hours, the water ran out on the third day,” she explained.

The grieved mother has now reached the Tawila town to join thousands of other families that were displaced from al-Fasher due to fighting between the Army and the RSF.

“Many families lost their children on their journey to Tawila, currently controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid al Nur,” said Adam Rijal, spokesman for the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees.

“The displaced are living in dire humanitarian conditions and need basic necessities such as food, drinking water and shelter,” he said.