European Commission to send investigators to probe alleged migrant abuses in Tunisia

The European Union is facing growing criticism from human rights groups and members of parliament over controversial migration deals it has signed with Tunisia and Libya. The deals, which offer millions of dollars in funding for development and border enforcement, aim to prevent migrants from reaching Europe by boat.  

“How is that reduction achieved? People are incarcerated, women are raped, and children are dumped and left to die in the desert; this is happening on a daily basis,” David Yambio, spokesperson for the NGO Refugees in Libya, told the Guardian.

A recent investigation by the Guardian alleges that Tunisian national guard members, funded by EU taxpayers, are working with human traffickers to organize illegal boat crossings while also robbing and abusing migrants. 

  “These abuses are the horrifying yet entirely predictable violations that always result from these kinds of deals,” Catherine Woollard, director of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles told the Guardian.

Tunisian authorities have denied the allegations, calling them baseless. In response to the scrutiny, the European Commission has pledged to send independent investigators to Tunisia to examine the claims of abuse.