Tunisian police have fired tear gas to disperse a protest for migrants’ rights near the island of Djerba, on the country’s west coast, where the Francophonie Summit will be held starting this Saturday, reports the Tunisie Numerique portal.
The agents have intervened in the town of Zarzis, about 25 kilometers south of the island, whose main access by the Jurf al Qantara sea road is now blocked by security forces, according to other information from the Mosaique FM radio station.
It should be recalled that the protests have been organized by a group of relatives of migrants from Zarzi who drowned weeks ago in one of the many shipwrecks on the Mediterranean route.
After denouncing the passivity of the authorities in their operations to search for the missing, the relatives recently threatened to go to Djerba to make their voice heard and ask the relevant authorities to intervene urgently to reveal the truth about the disappearance of their children.
The Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) will take place on November 19-20 in the presence of 89 official delegations after its postponement last year due to political tensions in the country following the decision of President Kais Saied to arrogate to himself all powers in July after a series of anti-government protests.