Tripoli, July 17, (dpa/GNA) – Libyan border guards have rescued dozens of African migrants, who said they had been deported by Tunisian authorities towards the borders, Libya’s Ministry of Interior said on Monday.
The migrants were found in the desert, and taken to al-Assah border village.
A team from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Libyan authorities, provided them with food, clothes and temporary accommodation, as well as first aid for those injured, according to a statement by the Interior Ministry.
In a video posted by the ministry, two men from Nigeria said they were beaten up by Tunisian soldiers, and taken along with others a desert area and told to cross into Libya.
Another man said Tunisian soliders took their passports and burned them, before taking 35 people in one vehicle to the border area with Libya.
He said they spent two days in the desert before Libyan border guards found them.
On Sunday, the European Union and Tunisia signed a memorandum of understanding, aimed at combatting irregular migration, in return for an aid package for the North African country.
The deal clears the way for financial aid of up to €900 million ($1.01 billion) from the EU, for economically ailing Tunisia.
Growing numbers of migrants have sought to leave Tunisia, since President Kais Saied announced a tougher crackdown on them in February, and accused them of bringing violence and crime into the country.
Since then, hostilities and racist attacks have increased. Earlier this month, clashes broke out between migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and residents of the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, leading Tunisian authorities to arrest dozens of migrants.
GNA