The Senegalese government announced on Thursday that it had repatriated 76 of its nationals in Tunisia and Libya.
“Following the instructions of the Head of State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Senegalese proceeded, this Thursday, March 16, 2023, to the repatriation of 76 Senegalese, out of the 172 initially registered, who were established in Tunisia and Libya, “reads the press release of the Ministry.
Thus, the returnees, “who decided to return to Senegal on a voluntary basis, were transported by the national airline Air Senegal,” said the statement, adding that they “were taken care of, upon their arrival at the airport, by the competent state services, in accordance with the usual procedures put in place in such situations.
The Ministry thanks the Tunisian and Libyan authorities for “their cooperation which facilitated the proper execution of this operation”.
This repatriation follows the controversial remarks of Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed on February 21. He, at a meeting of the Tunisian Council for National Security, called for an end to the presence of “hordes of illegal migrants” from sub-Saharan Africa was a “criminal enterprise hatched at the dawn of this century to change the demographic composition of Tunisia.
On the other hand, the ministry did not explain the reasons why the country decided to repatriate its nationals from Libya. However, it is known that this country is experiencing an acute political crisis since the fall of President Gaddafi in 2011.
