Kais Saied faces accusations of racism for receiving the President of Guinea
Tunisian President Kais Saied received Wednesday President of GuineaUmaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló, the first president from sub-Saharan countries to visit Tunisia, after the controversy sparked by Saied’s statements on irregular African migrants, sent a message that a number of African leaders do not adopt positions accusing the Tunisian authorities of racism.
Kais Saied once again denied any racism in his stance on immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, pointing out that Africans are his brothers and condemning a campaign of non-innocence to undermine the country’s relations with African countries.
On February 21, Ben Ali denounced the influx of “hordes of irregular migrants” from sub-Saharan Africa, saying the phenomenon was leading to “violence and crimes.”
“A criminal arrangement was devised at the beginning of this century to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup,” he said.
After his speech, which was described by non-governmental organizations as “racist” and “hate-inciting,” nationals of sub-Saharan Africa reported increasing incidents of abuse, as a result of which dozens sought refuge in their countries’ embassies to return them to their countries of origin. The Tunisian authorities, however, considered this as an intimidation and an attempt to distort the country’s image abroad.
In an apparent bid to calm the situation, Saied affirmed during a meeting late Wednesday at the Carthage Palace that sub-Saharan Africans are “our brothers,” according to a video released by the Tunisian presidency.
In a speech in French to his guest, Saied stressed that he only called for respect for his country’s law and sovereignty, stressing that “no country accepts the existence of legislation parallel to its own”.
He condemned the attempt by some to interpret his statements and “launch an uninnocent campaign to damage Tunisia’s relationship with a number of African countries.”
He said the situation of sub-Saharan Africans “cannot be explained by some interpretations repeated by some malicious tongues” which described his remarks as racist.
Those who interpreted his statements “misinterpreted the person and misinterpreted the address,” he said, noting that some of his family members are married to sub-Saharan Africans.
The president of Guinea-Bissau, who holds the rotating presidency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said Said’s remarks about migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were “misinterpreted”.
“I am an African and I am proud of that,” Saied said.
The African Union has already condemned Said’s “shocking” statements, calling on its member states to “refrain from any hate speech of a racist nature that may harm people and to give priority to their safety and fundamental rights.” The Tunisian foreign ministry responded to the statement by surprise at the accusations that Tunisia is racist and took several measures in favor of Africans.
“Around 21,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are officially registered in Tunisia, most of them in irregular status, less than 0.2 percent of the country’s 12 million population.”
