Refugees 7
Politics Malek Sghiri 27 March 2024

Kasserine: The Forgotten Cemetery of Spanish Republicans

In the aftermath of General Franco’s victory in Spain’s civil war, an ally of Hitler and Mussolini, nearly half a million Spanish Republicans were compelled to flee their homeland starting in February 1939. This mass exodus, known as the Retirada, saw hundreds of Spanish Marine officers seeking refuge in Bizerte, Tunisia, from May 1939 to June 1940. They found themselves in work camps, particularly near Mount Chaambi in Kasserine, where despite enduring hunger and illness, most remained for 17 years, from 1939 to 1956, with some staying until the early 1980s. Only about 20 of them died there between July 1941 and October 1949, and were laid to rest in a now-forgotten cemetery.

Rights Hammadi Lassoued 23 April 2019

From Eritrea to Tunisia through Libya: Refugees escaping death

On March 21, 2019, the Medenine refugee shelter closed its doors. Tunisia Red Crescent’s regional committee called for the closure two weeks after the protest movement carried out by a group of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers on March 7. Protesters had left the center and set out on foot towards the Libyan border, calling attention to catastrophic conditions at the center, a facility which houses 210 occupants in spite of a 100-person capacity. It was here where, on March 11, a 15 year-old asylum seeker attempted suicide by cutting his wrists. Nawaat met with some of its residents to uncover the truth about this shelter.

Rights Adriana Vidano 26 March 2018

Choucha refugees in La Marsa, abandoned by Tunisian authorities and the UNHCR

They arrived in La Marsa from Choucha refugee camp in June 2017, and were supposed to stay for a few days time while their situation was worked out. But still today, the 34 exiles remain in La Marsa. After fleeing Libya in 2011, their asylum applications were rejected in 2012 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They eagerly hoped for the re-examination of their files during the six years they spent in Choucha. Eight months after their arrival in La Marsa’s youth center, their living conditions have severely deteriorated and the competent authorities have abandoned their case.

Politics Vanessa Szakal 27 February 2017

Tunisia follows lead on Europe’s migration strategy

Since the beginning of February, the EU’s revamped strategy to reduce the number of migrants arriving on European shores has suscitated fervent reactions from south to north of the Mediterranean. On February 3, European Council members met in La Valetta, Malta, where they signed a declaration committing to « step up our work with Libya as the main country of departure as well as with its North African and sub-Saharan neighbors. » On the heels of the summit, the Tunisian government has, more or less, followed the lead of its European partners, having been promised sizeable economic packages in exchange for cooperation in curbing the human flow across the Mediterranean.

Themes Amira Souilem 14 May 2008

Amman: a long term temporary stage for Iraqis

We’re not staying here” keeps on saying Razaq, a 45 years old Iraqi mechanical engineer. Razaq is as 500 000 Iraqis that left their devastated country to settle in Jordan, according to Jordanian official sources. They moved “temporarily” as they say, at least as they hope. 53 331 of them are registered at the UNHCR in Amman, the Jordanian capital. Razaq came to Amman […]