Tunisia defends migrant crackdown as critics doubt returns can keep pace

Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti said Tunisia remains committed to fighting human-trafficking networks and defending its sovereignty, as the country absorbs a growing number of irregular migrants, mostly sub-Saharan nationals crossing from Algeria and Libya, despite officially refusing to become a settlement or transit hub for routes to Europe. The International Organization for Migration has coordinated 5,077 voluntary returns since the start of 2026, part of a wider programme that had reached 25,351 people as of September 2026; commentators question whether returns can keep pace with daily arrivals.

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