In reaction to the racist remarks and violence perpetrated against sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia, calls for a boycott of Tunisian products and services are being organised and multiplied across African capitals and on social networks.
In Dakar as in Conakry, butter, oil, pasta, cucumbers, dates, sanitary products and any other product made in Tunisia are nowadays abandoned in favour of those from another country. Thus, according to the mosaiqueguinee website, “many Guinean economic operators have suspended the purchase and import of Tunisian products to Conakry, given all that their compatriots and neighbours in the sub-region are suffering from the authorities and populations of this Arab country.
In addition, the president of Tunisia Africa Business Council (TABC), Anis Jaziri, published on Sunday, March 5, 2023 a status on his facebook page, reporting the blocking of Tunisian goods in some African ports, as well as cancellations of orders and even contracts.
“Blocking of Tunisian goods in some African ports, cancellation of orders and even contracts, boycott campaigns of Tunisian products, reorientation of patients to other destinations, return of dozens of students to their countries even though they are legally entitled to do so, cancellation of travel for several sub-Saharan businessmen, cancellation of missions, trade fairs, forums… These are the observations of thousands of Tunisians working all over Africa, gathered by our crisis unit during the weekend. Time is running out, Tunisia must act quickly and correctly … “, said the Tunisian businessman.
In addition, in Dakar, a demonstration organised by FRAPP (Popular Anti-imperialist and Pan-African Revolution movement) took place on Saturday in front of the Tunisian embassy in Senegal. But it was dispersed by the police and several people were arrested before being released. The movement also called on “Africans to boycott all Tunisian products and services as a response to Tunisia’s state-sponsored negrophobia,” the Frapp’s national executive secretary said in a statement.
It should be noted that these calls for a boycott follow Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed’s speech on sub-Saharan migrants on 21 February. The President said that “urgent measures” were needed “against illegal immigration of sub-Saharan Africans”, describing their presence as “hordes of illegal migrants” in Tunisia, whose arrival was part of a “criminal enterprise hatched at the dawn of this century to change the demographic composition of Tunisia”.
These remarks provoked an outcry not only from Tunisian civil society but also from the international community and the African Union. Since the beginning of this month, several sub-Saharan African countries such as Mali, Ivory Coast and Guinea have repatriated their nationals from Tunisia to their countries of origin.
