Tunisia’s request for help from the European Union in the issue of refugees

The African refugee crisis has now become a nightmare for the European Union. The arrival of a large number of asylum seekers to the Green Continent and the opposition of the member countries to this issue has now become a big challenge for Brussels. Supporting North African countries to deal with this issue is one of the proposed solutions. 

According to the Reuters news agency, Ahmed Hachani, the Prime Minister of Tunisia today (Wednesday) requested the support of the European Union for his country to deal with the refugee crisis. 

Speaking at a meeting about the refugee crisis in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, he stressed: We and other African countries that are on the way of refugees to Europe need to receive financial aid in order to deal with the consequences of this issue. The current aid is not the answer to the volume of problems. 

Hachani added: Tunisia is a victim of the refugee crisis and the country’s financial resources have been depleted due to this issue. Our cities have hosted a flood of refugees beyond their capacity. 

The European Union has paid 150 million euros to Tunisia in March for financial support in stopping the process of illegal immigration to European soil through this country. However, Tunisian officials say the aid is far less than it could solve the problem. 

The prime minister of Tunisia says that the main expenses should be spent in the countries of origin of the refugees to prevent their migration, and not to allocate these expenses to the camp of African refugees in Libya. 

According to the latest statistics for January 2024, more than 706,000 refugees are living in Libyan refugee camps. However, Libya’s interior minister says the country is now hosting 2.5 million refugees from sub-Saharan countries. 

Translator: Abulfazl Hashemi