In dealing with the large number of asylum seekers from Africa, the European Union is trying to cooperate more with the countries in North Africa. However, human rights are not taken very seriously there, according to recent research.
Is this what local aid looks like? As “Spiegel” and Bayerischer Rundfunk reported on Tuesday, the governments of Mauritania, Tunisia and Morocco are acting extremely ruthlessly against asylum seekers. Accordingly, those seeking protection are systematically rounded up and then abandoned in remote areas: with the knowledge of the Europeans, as the magazine confirmed.
Trained by civil servants from Europe
The migrants are arrested when they flee to Europe and sometimes left in the middle of the desert. The EU countries are therefore equipping the units in Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania that should be responsible for these actions.
“They train officers, provide buses and pickup trucks. The same vehicle models are sometimes seen in videos of the arrests,” says the “Spiegel” report.
A lot of money for controlling migration
In an effort to combat illegal migration, the EU aims to build strategic partnerships with the countries of origin and transit of refugees. In February, the EU committed €210 million in funding to Mauritania to manage migration as part of enhanced cooperation. An agreement with Tunisia was signed in July last year.
According to the report, the reporters traveled to Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania for their investigation. They verified videos, filmed some of the criticized actions themselves and evaluated satellite images and confidential documents. The journalists also said they held conversations with dozens of migrants, diplomats, EU officials and police officers.
Governments don’t want to know about it
According to the Spiegel report, more than 50 asylum seekers described to reporters how they had been abandoned by security forces in remote areas. The governments of Mauritania, Tunisia and Morocco denied any human rights violations.
According to Spiegel, the European Commission emphasized that it expects its partners to comply with international obligations, but that the countries themselves are ultimately responsible for their security forces.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
