Conclusion

Tunisia’s initial, seemingly successful transition to democracy was one of the great surprises of the Arab Spring uprisings. During the last few years, however, progress has slowed, and even reversed in the economic, political, and human rights arenas. Facing dire economic and political conditions, the Tunisian government has instrumentalized migration to both distract its citizens from the true causes of the country’s malaise and negotiate financial aid from the EU (Amara, 2023b). Neither approach has proved successful in ‘solving’ the migration issue, however.

The EU and its stakeholders continue to see migration as a security issue and are apparently willing to ignore the human rights records of their partners in this fight (OHCHR, 2023). Efforts to address regional conflicts, support economic development, and prevent human rights abuses—all drivers of migration towards the EU—are largely lacking. Without action to address these root causes, ensuring the effective management of the migration issue will likely be impossible.

Furthermore, externalizing the migration problem to the southern border of the EU has not proven to be a winning strategy. The number of migrants continues to be high, often increasing year on year. The dangers they face during the journey to Europe remain many and perilous. Alternative solutions may offer better results. Pushing for legal reforms to integrate migrants into society and offer them access to social care and employment could be helpful, for example.

In Tunisia, the recent backlash against migrants in general and sub-Saharan Africans in particular has highlighted the need for the legal system dealing with migration to be reformed.^[1] If migrants remain outside of the country’s social fabric, problems are likely to persist. It is, of course, a difficult moment for Tunisia—its citizens and government—to offer aid for, and to open its job market to, migrants in the country. The economy is poor, and the government has turned from democracy towards authoritarianism—neither of which are conducive to such changes. Without change, however, it is difficult to see a positive path forward for Tunisia or the migrants who travel there in the hope of reaching Europe.

^[1] Interview with Romdhane Ben Amor, spokesman for FTDES, Tunis, Tunisia, July 2023.