Protesters gathered on Saturday outside the headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Lac district of Tunis, calling for the deportation of undocumented sub-Saharan African migrants and demanding that the organisation leave Tunisia.
The demonstration took place at midday and included activists who were seen organising participants before joining the protest.
Security forces maintained a strong presence around the UNHCR headquarters, deploying multiple vehicles and restricting protesters from approaching the building.
As the protest concluded, some activists were seen briefly remaining opposite the heavily secured premises before dispersing alongside other demonstrators. Security personnel continued to secure the area after the crowd had left.
Tunisia remains a key transit route for migrants attempting to reach Europe, with tens of thousands passing through the country each year.
Migration has become an increasingly sensitive issue in the North African nation.
In February 2023, President Kais Saied described “hordes of illegal migrants,” many from sub-Saharan Africa, as a demographic threat to Tunisia’s Arab-majority population.
The remarks triggered widespread backlash and were followed by a series of racially motivated attacks targeting sub-Saharan African migrants.
Thousands of migrants were subsequently displaced from their homes and workplaces, while others attempted dangerous sea crossings across the Mediterranean.
Some were repatriated, while others were reportedly expelled to remote desert border regions near Algeria and Libya, where humanitarian groups said at least one hundred people died during the summer.
The latest protest highlights ongoing tensions surrounding migration policy and the treatment of foreign nationals in Tunisia, amid broader regional debates on migration flows between Africa and Europe.
