Tunisian police use tear gas to disperse homeless migrants

Tunisian police on Tuesday used tear gas to disperse homeless black migrants who protested outside a United Nations office demanding evacuation following inflammatory remarks by President Kais Saied. AFP journalists saw police break up camp outside the Tunis office of the global organization for refugees UNHCR. The migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have protested there, saying they are "not safe" in Tunisia.

The UNHCR announced earlier this month that it would suspend asylum activities worldwide due to the transition to a new registration system. Migrants in Tunisia have repeatedly protested outside the agency's office in the capital's Lac district, including on Tuesday, when they set up barricades in front of the UNHCR office there. Famoussa Koita, a Malian who is recognized by the UN as a legitimate asylum seeker, said many people have waited two or three years for the agency to settle their case.

Migrants also argued with residents of the posh lakeside neighborhood before being dispersed by police. Interior Ministry spokesman Faker Bouzghaya said police intervened at the request of UNHCR and 80 migrants were detained. Hundreds of migrants have been living outside the nearby office of the International Organization for Migration, without access to toilets or running water, since Saied claimed without evidence in February that sub-Saharan African migrants were causing crime and forming a "plot" to change the demographic composition of Tunisia.

Shortly after his speech, black Africans faced a wave of violence and many, including pregnant women and children, were evicted from their homes and workplaces by landlords for fear of fines or imprisonment. Hundreds of frightened West Africans were flown home on repatriation flights. A group of migrants told journalists in a text message late Monday that they were "unjustly kicked out of our homes and fired" following Saied's speech.

"We want to be evacuated immediately to another safe country that accepts and respects us as human beings, not a country like Tunisia that does not value us as human beings," they said. Story continues "We came to Tunisia... as a place of refuge, but Tunisia is not safe for us and we can't stay in Tunisia anymore."

Elyes Ben Zakour, a Tunisian who lives nearby, said migrants "blocked the street" and complained that residents had been unable to leave their homes for 25 days. After police dispersed the migrants, an AFP journalist saw UNHCR windows and surveillance cameras smashed. Municipal workers removed the tents of migrants and cleared away their belongings.

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