2023-08-24 20:00:03
A Sudanese national, refugee in the palm grove of Nefta (Tunisia), July 24, 2023. PAULINE DUPIN
Tamerza, a mountain oasis located a few kilometers from the Algerian border, in the south-west of Tunisia, is best known for its breathtaking landscapes, along canyons and springs. At the edge of the village, a rocky mountain overlooks the school. At the beginning of August, while students and teachers were still on school vacation, several National Guard agents watched the entrance to the establishment. Men and women, some wearing vests from the Red Crescent humanitarian organization, come and go.
“No one can enter, except the volunteers”, warns Salwa (the first name has been changed), a volunteer in the region. Taking advantage of the delivery of food and basic necessities sent by Tunisian associations, The world was able to gain access to the building for several minutes, before arousing the suspicions of the security agents present inside.
“We are not allowed to go out”
In the school playground, plastic tables and chairs are arranged in a disparate way. Abdoulaye (the first name has been changed), a young Ivorian with an athletic physique wearing a beard of a few days, is installed there with three men and two women. At sunset, the group tries to chase away boredom by playing cards. “We don’t have the right to leave here, we don’t know what they want to do with us”explains the young man in a low voice, under the wary gaze of the guards.
Forty-six men, women and children are still being held in this high school as the start of the new school year approaches. Most were expelled from Sfax and then picked up at the Libyan or Algerian border, according to Wafa, a supervisor at the establishment who volunteered, with the support of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, the Tunisian League of human rights and independent volunteers to provide life-saving assistance to migrants in distress.
These volunteers are particularly active in the border towns, in the mining basin of Gafsa, the oasis of Nefta or that of Tamerza, which have experienced massive arrivals of migrants expelled at the border or arrived directly from Algeria. They also coordinate with other associations in Tunis, or with the International Organization for Migration, which manages accommodation centers and “voluntary” return procedures. This aid is provided alongside the support provided by the Red Crescent, which works mainly with the authorities.
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