Tunisia: two months after the sinking of 18 Tunisians in the Mediterranean, families demonstrate

Demonstrators in Tunis, November 23, 2022. © Amira Souilem / RFI

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2 mins

Two months after the disappearance of a boat that had 18 Tunisians on board, the pain of the families turns into anger.

They denounce the inaction of the authorities in this case and demand that the truth be revealed on this shipwreck.

A rally was held Wednesday in the heart of Tunis.

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With our correspondent in Tunis

,

Amira Souilem

"

We want the truth, the whole truth

", hammered the people present at the rally which was held in front of the municipal theater of Tunis.

In the crowd, residents of

Zarzis

, where the missing are from, residents of the capital and also sub-Saharan migrants, are gathered.

Everyone wants to know what happened at sea

last September

.

My brother is called Seifeddine, he is 25 years old.

He was found buried in the so-called "unknown Zarzis" cemetery.

We found him on our own and we were the ones who asked for DNA tests to be done.

We found the bodies.

At sea too, it was we who looked for them and found them.

The authorities did nothing

,” indignant Yosra, 21, staring into space and holding a photo of her brother.

► To read also: Tunisia: the capsizing of migrant boats is increasing

“We will wrest the rights of our children ourselves”

Why were some bodies buried without identification?

By who ?

And where are the eight missing corpses?

The questions are many.

While the Tunisian president holds full powers, it is on him that the anger is concentrated.

As well as on the European Union.

Imed Soltani, the president of the association “A land for all”, indicates that he “

expects nothing more

” from Kaïs Saïed.

We no longer trust him.

We will wrest the rights of our children ourselves.

But we are also surrounded by this policy of closing the borders of the European Union.

This is also what kills migrants and it is a priority file

, ”he adds.

After the gathering, Tunisian associations set off for Zarzis where they planned to present their condolences to the families of those missing from the boat. 

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