TUNISIA: MIGRANTS’ HELL

HOW THE ARAB WORLD’S FIRST DEMOCRACY BECAME EU WATCHDOG

ARTE Reportage (24 min)

Voir le film complet en VO française (24min)

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Watch the film in english (24min)

Once hailed as a beacon of democratic hope after the Arab Spring, Tunisia has transformed into an authoritarian, xenophobic state under President Kaïs Saïed—serving as a brutal gatekeeper for Europe.

Life for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa has become a living hell—a hell that remains largely undocumented. Tunisian authorities actively prevent journalists from covering the issue.

This report sheds light on the methods used by the state to stop migrants from reaching Italy.

Conducted in secret over several months, the investigation exposes the inhumane conditions in the makeshift camps of Sfax, where all humanitarian aid is strictly prohibited.

It denounces abuses at sea committed by the National Maritime Guard and reveals a deeply troubling new practice: forced desert deportations. Migrants are arrested, secretly transported, and abandoned in the desert near the Libyan or Algerian border.

The documentary also features an interview with Dubravka Šuica, the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, asking whether she is aware of these human rights violations and whether the European Commission is putting pressure on President Kaïs Saïed to prevent them.

June 2025

Directors:
Davide Mattei, Julien Goudichaud

Cinematographers:
Julien Goudichaud, Davide Mattei

Video editor:
Anne Thillet

Producers:
Mammut Productions, Nova Production