Tunisian stabbed to death in clash with African migrants amid tensions in Sfax
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Transcript
00:00 middle of the night in the northern suburbs of Sfax, police keeping local Tunisians separated
00:05 from migrants. Officers covering the entrance to the house where a group of sub-Saharan
00:10 Africans are living, hours before a Tunisian man was stabbed and killed in the street nearby.
00:15 Three suspects arrested are reported to be from Cameroon. It sparked an outcry in Tunisia's
00:20 second city. Locals gathering for the funeral say they want answers, that this area is no
00:25 longer safe and they long predicted something like this would happen.
00:29 "Today we are in a really difficult situation. There are so many illegal migrants here now
00:38 and this has just increased the many problems that there were already in Tunisia."
00:44 The country's economy is close to collapse, reliant on foreign debt. There's political
00:49 turmoil too. Protests are a sign of the times. These demonstrators claim the situation is
00:54 worsening with more migrant arrivals. The port city of Sfax has become the hub for illegal
01:00 boat crossings to Italy. Coast Guard officials say there's been a 300% increase in migrants
01:05 leaving from here in the last 12 months. Added to the tension, the African Union says recent
01:11 anti-immigrant rhetoric of President Saïd has encouraged hate and xenophobia. Aid agencies
01:17 say they're receiving more reports of racist attacks and clashes than ever before.
01:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]