The United Nations says an "unfolding tragedy" is unfolding for migrants and refugees as they struggle to survive in harsh conditions near the borders with Libya and Algeria, while others are pushed across the border.
Many people were pushed into remote desert areas. Photo: Reuters
Many people have been displaced from Tunisia's second largest city Sfax following recent unrest, while others have been displaced from other municipalities, the UN said.
Earlier this month, as Sfax was rocked by ethnic violence, authorities loaded hundreds of migrants onto buses and left them stranded in remote desert areas near Algeria and Libya.
Up to 1,200 Africans have been "deported or forcibly transferred" to border areas, the NGO Human Rights Watch said.
"Among those stranded are women (including some who are pregnant) and children," the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said in a joint statement.
“They were stranded in the desert, facing extreme heat and without shelter, food or water,” the statement said.
The IOM said saving lives must be the top priority and those trapped must be taken to safety. "Search and rescue efforts are urgently needed for those still trapped on both sides of the border," it said.
Tunisia has become a major gateway for illegal migrants and asylum seekers attempting perilous sea journeys in often rickety boats in the hope of a better life in Europe.
The distance between Sfax and the Italian island of Lampedusa is about 130 km.
Mai Anh (according to Reuters, CNA)
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