Two Sudanese killed in clashes between Tunisian police and refugees
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May 27, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Ten African nationals, including two
Sudanese citizens from the country’s western region of Darfur, were
killed in clashes this week between Tunisian police and locals with
the residents of a camp for refugees from Libya.
The widely-reported clashes, which occurred on Tuesday at the
UN-managed Choucha camp located 7 km from Tunisia’s main border
crossing with Libya at Ras Ajdi, claimed the lives of ten people from
different African nationalities.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Choucha camp, Omar Babekir, a refugee
from Darfur, recounted that the clashes started after the refugees
staged a protest against the bad conditions under which they lived and
demanded transfer from Tunisia.
According to Babekir, who said he had lived in Libya since 2003, the
Tunisian police opened fire on the protesters, leading to the killing
of ten refugees and injury of dozens.
He further claimed that the local residents who participated in the
clashes used sticks and iron bars to beat the protesting refugees,
adding that the Tunisians had grown fed-up of refugees and have
demanded their departure from the country.
He explained that local Tunisian citizens thought that African
refugees were mercenaries who participated in defending the
beleaguered regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The eyewitness said that the wounded refugees were currently at the
city’s hospital but denied medical treatment. "The medical staff there
were not giving them any treatment and ignoring them completely," he
said.
Babekir stated that their camp holds up to 5,000 refugees from Sudan,
Eritrea and Nigeria among other African countries.
He said that all tents were burnt during the clashes and that they
were living without shelter or food after the looting of relief stocks
brought by the WFP, Islamic Relief and Red Cross to the area.
(ST)
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