Tent camps razed and activists arrested as Tunisia clamps down on migrants

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA and SAM METZ
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tensions in Tunisia have ratcheted up as demonstrators seeking better rights for migrants staged a sit-in before European Union headquarters, capping a week in which Tunisian authorities targeted migrant communities from the coast to the capital with arrests and the demolition of tent camps. Several activists were apprehended this week, accused of financial crimes stemming from providing aid to migrants. Authorities swept up dozens of sub-Saharan Africans as they razed encampments in Tunis and Sfax. Fewer migrants have made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea this year compared to last year, due to weather and beefed-up border security.