The President of Tunisia, Kais Saied, has been harshly criticised over remarks he made over migration to the north African country.
Saied said that migration from sub-Saharan Africa was part of a plot to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup and distance it from other Arab and Islamist countries.
He was quoted as saying: ‘We will not permit the demographic composition to be changed and I know very well what I am saying.’
Saied also said that all illegal migrants would be expelled from the country.
In response to Saied’s comments, the African Union released a statement expressing its ‘deep shock and concern’ at what the President said. He was also criticised on social media, with protests also being organised in the capital, Tunis.
Saied was first elected in 2019, but his government has become increasingly authoritarian, and he executed a self-coup in 2021, dismissing Parliament and his Prime Minister.