Dropped in the desert
Tens of thousands of people arbitrarily detained, transported to hostile territories and abandoned – funded and facilitated by the EU: an investigation led by Lighthouse Reports has documented EU complicity in systematic, racialised expulsions from North Africa.
Authorities in Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania routinely apprehend people originating mostly from Sub-Saharan countries. These people are then driven to remote border regions or arid deserts – before being left and exposed to thirst, kidnapping and serious violence.
On the Tunisian-Libyan border, at least 29 deaths have been reported since June by the UN as a result of the practice, while many more remain missing. Despite reportedly being aware of inhumane policies since at least 2019, the EU allocated more than €400 million to Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania under its Trust Fund for Africa. In exchange, these states are tasked with limiting arrivals to Europe.
 | Danny Callaghan The investigation also found European involvement extending to the provision of equipment, intelligence and security personnel. Human rights are not assessed as part of ‘migration management’ projects abroad, the European Commission confirmed – with officials in Brussels reportedly stating it is “impossible” to account for how funding is used. Yet the EU presented Mauritania with additional funds last year and, as recently as February, unveiled a further €210 million to Tunisia. Meanwhile, other migration deals are in place with third countries such as Egypt, Türkiye, and Lebanon. Following the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, member states are now calling for further partnerships. Legal expert Professor Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche believes European countries are externalising their borders abroad to avoid culpability for human rights violations. "These policies tend to circumvent obligations member states have under international and European law," Basilien-Gainche told The European Correspondent. "By funding these regimes, the EU could be considered involved in such violations." |
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