Tunisian President Kais Saied said that the accusations and what he described as frenzied campaigns aim to incite public opinion and incite it against Tunisia. This comes with the Tunisian Naval Guard announcing the seizure of more than 2,500 immigrants within two days in sweeping operations for the coasts.

Saeed said - in a meeting with the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the African Union, Pankole Adewoye, and the Commissioner for Health and Humanitarian Affairs of the Union, Minata Samati Sisoma - that whoever talks about racial discrimination in Tunisia does not know or forget the positions of its people on all the issues that African peoples have suffered from.

The Tunisian president affirmed his rejection of racial discrimination and human trafficking.

He made it clear that no country in the world accepts the presence of people outside the legal frameworks on its land, or for groups to set up their own courts, as he put it.

Said stressed in a speech about two weeks ago that "urgent measures" should be taken to stop the flow of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to his country, stressing that this phenomenon leads to "violence and crimes."

His statements - which were described as racist - sparked condemnatory reactions from the African Union and international organizations, and American and international concern.

The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, expressed her concern about Saeed's statements, which prompted numbers of African refugees to leave Tunisia for fear of being harassed and assaulted.

The Tunisian authorities have rejected the accusations against Said of racism, and announced measures to facilitate the residence of the refugees, who in turn called on the International Commission for Refugees to protect and resettle them in other countries.

African migrants rescued by the National Guard last October off the coast of Sfax, east of Tunisia (French)

More than 2,500 immigrants were arrested

Saeed's remarks come on Friday, after the Tunisian National Guard announced the seizure of more than 2,500 immigrants, most of them from sub-Saharan African countries, in attempts to migrate irregularly to the European coasts, during combing operations on the coasts.

National Guard spokesman Hossam El-Din El-Jabali stated that 1,008 immigrants were rescued on Thursday night and Friday, and 1,509 immigrants were rescued the day before, including 75 Tunisians, and the rest are from sub-Saharan African countries.

In total, during the past two days, the Naval Guard thwarted 67 attempts to cross the border, and earlier recovered 14 bodies after two boats sank off the coast of Sfax, which is a major platform for migrant boats to launch.

Migrants are being stopped on a daily basis by the security services at the borders, while the Tunisian government is facing pressure from its European partners to strengthen its efforts to curb the waves of irregular migration emanating from its coasts.

There are more than 21,000 immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia, including students, according to official statistics.

Tunisia is a transit point for thousands of immigrants from sub-Saharan countries who are heading on irregular journeys by sea to the European coasts, particularly Italy.

Italy receives large numbers of immigrants from Tunisia across the Mediterranean.

According to official figures, this country received more than 32,000 immigrants in 2022, including 18,000 Tunisians.