Tunisia seeks to deport migrants and dismantle their camps.

An official security source told Reuters today, Saturday, that Tunisian authorities dismantled makeshift tents housing around seven thousand sub-Saharan African migrants in forests in the south of the country and have begun forced deportation operations for some of them, in an effort to alleviate the escalating migrant crisis. With thousands of people flowing from sub-Saharan countries seeking to reach Europe via Tunisian coasts, Tunisia is facing an unprecedented migrant crisis. Houssam Eddine Jebabli, an official in the National Guard, stated, "We dismantled tents sheltering seven thousand migrants in the forests of Al-Aamra town, and the operation is ongoing with the presence of security forces, medical teams, and civil protection." He told Reuters that during the operation, some were arrested for violence and crimes, and forced deportation operations to their home countries began since last Friday evening. He added that authorities are also working to voluntarily repatriate thousands to their home countries. Jebabli did not provide specific numbers of migrants expected to be deported forcibly, but mentioned that it is a large number. He mentioned that bladed weapons, including knives and swords, were seized from them. The Tunisian government states that around 20,000 migrants are living in tents in the forests in the towns of Al-Aamra and Jbeniana after authorities prevented them from reaching Europe by boat across the Mediterranean Sea.