Tunisia: Migration is an Act of Resistance – Full Rights for Migrant Peoples!
The Association of Million Rural Women and Landless, a member of La Via Campesina, is following with deep concern the situation of migrant people in Tunisia, especially that of our sisters and brothers from sub-Saharan Africa. Many of them find themselves stranded, having fled civil wars, poverty, famine, epidemics, drought, and natural disasters, in search of a safe and dignified life.
During their transit or stay in Tunisia, migrants face immense hardships. Increasing security control has made it nearly impossible to cross the Mediterranean or reach Europe. In addition, they are exposed to unacceptable racist violence—both verbal and physical—from some Tunisian individuals.
The Association of Million Rural Women and Landless reaffirms its struggle—alongside progressive movements around the world—for food sovereignty, climate justice, agrarian reform, and the rights of migrant people. We assert that the entire history of humanity has been shaped by migration. Migration is a form of resistance to colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism. Every human being has the right to migrate in order to live in safety and dignity. The migrations of our sisters and brothers from sub-Saharan Africa are the direct consequence of a century of colonization, followed by decades of plunder and dispossession of our African continent’s resources.
Consequently, the association:
- Holds the European Union primarily responsible for the deterioration of living conditions for migrants in Tunisia. Through its repressive policies—especially the externalization of borders—it obstructs their passage, deploys its security forces, army, and the Frontex agency, and pressures Southern Mediterranean countries, including Tunisia, exploiting their economic vulnerability to force them into acting as gatekeepers of European borders.
- Also holds the Tunisian authorities accountable, and calls on them to adopt a humane approach that takes into account the real experiences of migrant people and respects their dignity. This means either facilitating voluntary return or integrating them into the country’s economic and social life, viewing migration not as a threat but as an opportunity for Tunisia.
- Firmly condemns all racist violence, verbal or physical, committed against migrant people. These acts are extremely serious and represent a form of racism that we unequivocally reject and pledge to fight against.
- Calls on all its members, activists, friends, and supporters to welcome our migrant sisters and brothers with dignity, in accordance with our human values, traditions of hospitality, and a faith rooted in justice and compassion. We must offer them our support, our help, and engage in every form of solidarity on their behalf.
- Denounces any attempt to exploit or instrumentalize the migrant cause for personal, political, or commercial gain. Claiming to defend migrants while profiting from their suffering is a form of exploitation that we absolutely reject.
No to racism.
No to violence—verbal or physical.
For the rights of migrant people: all their rights, without exception. Migration is resistance, not a crime.