Nigeria goment don show readiness to evacuate Nigerians wey dey live for Tunisia afta one controversial comment by President Kais Saied trigger wave of violence and discrimination against black Africans for di kontri.
Mr Saied don deny say e be racist.
Di Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora, Abike Dabiri for inside statement tok say di Nigeria ambassador for Tunisia dey consult wit di Nigerian community on decision for evacuation.
She say dos wey don agree to come back no plenty but di mission dey work wit IOM to arrange dia tickets.
While odas say dem go wait and pray make di kasala end soon afta di intervention of di African Union and di African Group of Ambassadors.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast and Guinea say dem go send specially charted planes to bring back dia nationals.
“Di most urgent tin na to save lives, to prevent injuries,” Ivory Coast goment tok-tok pesin Amadou Coulibaly wey AFP news agency quote, tok.
Wetin dey happun for Tunisia?
Recently, Tunisia President, Kais Saied bin accuse African migrants say dem be part of one conspiracy to change Tunisia demographic make-up inside one crackdown on migrant.
Mr Saied bin say migration na “plot” to change di kontri demographic profile, as e blame “traitors wey dey work for foreign kontries”.
E also blame illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa for violence and crime for di kontri.
Dis im comments park protest for di kontri plus criticism from human rights groups wey describe im speech as hate speech.
On Sunday, protests happun for di capital wey call for di release of arrested and detained opposition figures wey dem see say dey critical of oga Saied. Di protesters also express dia outrage against racism.
Demonstrators bin shout “down wit di coup” – as dem refer to di fact say President Saied don dey rule by decree since September 2021, afta e dissolve parliament, suspend di constitution plus dismiss di goment.
“Stop racism and xenophobia” and “no to hate speech and discrimination” Dis na some of di comments wey dey di placards pipo carry for di Sunday demonstration.
Senegalese protestors describe im words as hateful and racist.
Dozens of sub-Saharan African don dey subjected to detentions, abuse and evictions from dia houses following di president remarks, rights groups tok.
For im reaction to di protest, President Saied reject accusations of racism and warn perpetrators of racial attacks of legal consequences.
On Sunday, e say im know wia di alleged racism campaign dey come from, although e no give full details.
E say Tunisia na African kontri and “Africans na our brothers” as e note say di kontri na one of di founding states of di Organisation of African Unity wey later become di African Union.
E also announce relaxation of visa rules for African citizens.
Tunisia bin get an estimate of 21,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa for 2021, according to official figures wey local rights activist quote wey accuse Mr Saied of “inciting hatred” and “racial discrimination against African migrants”.
Afta im comments, many migrants lost dia jobs and housing overnight. Reports say some dey physically assaulted.
“These words give so many pipo wey already get dis racist feelings green light,” one student from southern Africa tell BBC’s Africa Daily podcast.
She say many sub-Saharan Africans dey fear to comot go outside afta dem don “burn some pipo houses, dem beat some up, harass some and some don chop insult.”
“We no feel very safe to go di authorities because we feel like say some of dem also dey on dis… Some of my Tunisian friends say shame dey catch dem to be Tunisian at dis point because of wetin dey happun.”
Hundreds of Ivorians and Guineans don register for dia kontris embassies for evacuation.
“Di undeclared goal of di successive waves of illegal immigration na to consider Tunisia a purely African kontri wey no get affiliation to di Arab and Islamic nations,” Mr Saied tok.
Di African Union – wey Tunisia be member – don condemn di statement as “shocking”, and don sama warning against “racialised hate speech”.
Tunisia tennis star Ons Jabeur on Wednesday post one tweet wey condemn “discrimination” and e call for “di right of everyone to live wit dignity”.
About 80% of Tunisians believe say racial discrimination na problem for dia kontri – di highest figure for di Middle East and North Africa region, according to one survey wey BBC News Arabic publish last year.
