A new investigation published on Tuesday 21 May by Lighthouse Reports and several international media has revealed how the European Union and its Member States are financing the round-ups and deportations of tens of thousands of migrants to desert areas in North Africa.
“Migrants are being arrested by the hundreds and deported to desert areas in Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania. Human rights are being violated with the backing of the European Union’s resources”, writes the newspaper Le Monde.
According to the survey, security forces and police units in Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania regularly and arbitrarily arrest migrants in street raids or at their homes, before taking them to police stations or unofficial detention centres.
Many of them are then loaded onto buses to be transported and then abandoned in the desert. European funding also contributes to these practices. The EU and international organisations such as the IOM and UNHCR are also said to be aware of this.
When questioned on the subject, the European Commission did not confirm that it was aware of any such practices, but pointed out that “respect for the human rights and dignity of all migrants is a fundamental principle”. The EU “expects its partners to respect these same international obligations”, including the principle of non-refoulement.
“We know that the situation is sometimes difficult in partner countries; that is why we are working to improve the situation”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)