"Currently, I'm in a village near Sfax. I found refuge on a farm after fleeing the police. The owners are Tunisian, but they're letting me stay for a while. I'm going to try to find some work here to pay for my transport to Tunis.

Until last Saturday, I was living in a tent I shared with a friend in the camp at kilometer 30. There were between 100 and 200 people in that camp, including many families with children. On Saturday morning, the National Guard arrived without warning and started destroying all our belongings, without letting us take anything. I left with just my phone; I have nothing else. And I left my friend there. I don't know what happened to him. As I was leaving, I came across some police officers on the road, so I ran to avoid being arrested, and that's how I ended up at the farm where I am now.

Since the evacuation of the city center of Sfax during the summer of 2023, migrants hoping to remain in the region and attempt the perilous journey to Europe lived in makeshift camps amidst the olive groves surrounding the city. These camps were scattered along the road connecting Sfax to Jebeniana, each named after its nearest kilometer marker. The migrants living in these destitute conditions had no access to electricity, drinking water, or sanitation.

Until now, the camps were generally destroyed every two or three weeks. But now, they are destroyed every week. It's very difficult to salvage our belongings to rebuild shelters. The National Guard burns everything, so we constantly have to search for other materials to construct shelters, such as wood, sheets, nails, and plastic tarpaulins. Tunisians come to sell us all of this, but not at normal prices; we always pay extra here.

Even when it comes to food, we're not allowed to buy what we want. Some shops won't let us in, and others, if we want to buy couscous, for example, won't let us buy more than one package.

In February 2023, Tunisian President Kais Saied gave a speech in which he accused sub-Saharan migrants of serving "a criminal plan to change the demographic makeup of Tunisia." This speech sparked a wave of racism against Black people in Tunisia. In the aftermath, Tunisians were banned from renting housing and employing sub-Saharan Africans.

Read AlsoTunisian president says influx of sub-Saharan African migrants must end

Racism and violence

Life here is getting worse every day, because of this racism, but also because of the violence among sub-Saharan Africans. There are many assaults, robberies, and rapes of both women and men… I myself was kidnapped and held captive in 2024, at the beginning of the year. I was expelled to the desert, and on my way back to the camp, sub-Saharan Africans kidnapped me and held me captive in Sfax, in an isolated area. This happens very often. Then they mistreat us while filming us so that our families will send money as quickly as possible. I called my family, and they were forced to send money.

Since the summer of 2023, Tunisia has been regularly deporting migrants intercepted at sea to the desert areas along its borders. The migrants are forced onto buses or pickup trucks and made to walk from Algeria or Libya. At least 27 people have died in the desert since 2023.

After the camp was destroyed, I decided to go to Tunis to try and find some work and also to escape the cold that was starting to set in. I know people there who can house me. It's very difficult for us to work because Tunisians often hire us, but at the end of the month, they refuse to pay us. But we have no choice if we want to earn some money. I plan to stay in Tunis for a while and then return to Sfax to try and cross the Mediterranean.

My mother and sisters are still in Senegal. My mother knows all about my situation. She's very worried, but she's encouraging me to keep going because if I go back home, there's absolutely nothing for me there.

*His name has been anonymized to protect his identity

Read AlsoTunisia: Migrants remain missing after alleged abandonment in desert