Amid crackdown on dissent, Tunisian leader turns on migrants

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian authorities say they have arrested dozens of migrants near the Algerian border, two days after Tunisia’s increasingly authoritarian leader claimed there’s a plot to erase his country’s identity by bringing in sub-Saharan Africans. President Kais Saied said Tuesday that “urgent measures” were needed to address the entry of irregular immigrants from sub-Saharan countries, “with their lot of violence, crimes and unacceptable practices.” Saied’s comments at a National Security Council meeting raised a storm on social media and condemnations from nongovernmental organizations. Tunisia, once lauded as the only budding democracy in the Arab world, has recently also seen a crackdown on opposition politicians and activists.