Small boats or iron boats for a journey starting from Tunisia. Italian coast, final destination. In between, the Mediterranean crossing that turns into an open-air cemetery. And the Cutro massacre is the most recent and sad example of this. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Missing Migrants project documented 3028 dead and missing migrants in the central Mediterranean in the first half of 2023; This is the highest figure recorded since 2017.
Could the massacre of immigrants have been prevented? The yellow of lack of help (hour by hour)
But these are the people who turn into numbers for Viminale, whose owner, Matteo Piantedosi, got into trouble a few years ago to manage a phenomenon that has long lost its emergency connotations. According to Viminale surveys, in the first seven months of 2023, as of January 1 this year, more than 86,000 migrants (over 20,000 in July alone) landed on Italian shores, of which more than 5,000 are Tunisian nationals. And it all started from the Tunisian cities of Sfax and Mahdia. On the small boats to Italy there are immigrants from sub-Saharan countries or Tunisia itself, hit by a serious economic and political crisis.
At least it was until a few weeks ago. Because the Tunisian government has decided to forcibly transfer hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants from the port city of Sfax to a desert area on the border of Libya and Algeria. And the authorities are leaving them hungry and thirsty there in the scorching heat of the desert. These include pregnant women, children and even people with refugee status. Chilling testimonies come from immigrant stories collected by NGOs. Many reported being subjected to violence and ill-treatment by the police. But accusations of violations of the most basic human rights were denied by Tunisian authorities and police.
The hostility and violence against sub-Saharan immigrants is the result of President Kais Saied’s speeches that have been described as racist by NGOs. The same Tunisian leader, who spoke very harshly against the sub-Saharan people at a meeting of the Security Council last February 21: “There is a criminal plan to change the demographic structure of Tunisia, there are some who have taken large sums to give residency to sub-Saharan immigrants. Their existence is a source of violence, crime and unacceptable action, it’s time to end all this because there is a will to make Tunisia not a member of the Arab and Islamic world, but only an African country.”
Instability in Tunisia reflected on Italian coasts
Saied’s choice to fuel a climate of hatred towards sub-Saharan immigrants aims to hide the mismanagement of a crumbling country. As a result, instability in Tunisia has led to an uncontrolled flow of departures to Italy in recent weeks. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said a few months ago that there was a situation in Rome of “extreme concern” for a scenario that could have “unforeseen consequences” for immigration.
Therefore, the Meloni government is lobbying to put pressure on the EU countries and Gulf monarchies and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to limit the entry of immigrants to the Italian coast, to give the green light for economic support to the country led by Kais Saied. The theme was at the center of the international conference on development and migration that was highly coveted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on 23 July. There was talk of combating illegal immigration and economic development for the enlarged Mediterranean countries, but no mention of human rights abuses committed by autocrats and dictators, whom the prime minister welcomed in Italy.
The prime minister welcomed Saied with full honour, in the hope of taking action on the “root causes” of immigration from Tunisia, while initiating the “Roman Process” which endorsed a new approach to the problem of immigration from the African continent, through a strengthened form of cooperation between police forces and the establishment of a Fund to create investments in countries of origin. The Tunisian president left no room for doubt, reiterating that he had no intention of turning Tunisia into a new Libya, or rather a collection point for migrants crossing the country and entering Europe illegally.
The North African country, which signed a memorandum with the EU a few weeks ago for “a new partnership to combat the immigration crisis”, is waiting for European funds and wants those frozen by the International Monetary Fund to be released. Thus, during the Conference organized by the Italian government, Saied relaunched a new International Monetary Fund, which “can be financed by loans, stolen money after cancellation, to lay the foundations for a new human system, to create hope and prosperity for all.” That didn’t stop the Tunisian autocrat from repeating that he didn’t want to initiate the economic reforms the IMF had demanded to obtain a billion-dollar loan that would give his country some breathing room.
Why was the International Monetary Fund loan stopped?
Tunisia’s president – and now lord of the country thanks to a Constitution that introduced a hyper-presidential system – could get a $1.9 billion loan from the long-promised International Monetary Fund, necessary to prevent the public finances from defaulting. But Saied seems determined to move on: to reject the IMF’s rich contribution, avoid deep political and economic reforms, and avoid “tears and blood” among the population. It has already been grappling with a deep financial crisis in recent months, which has caused shortages of some essential products (sugar, milk, rice).
After galloping inflation of around 10% and overall unemployment of 17.5%, 2023 began with a series of demonstrations by Tunisians taking to the streets to demand Saied’s resignation. The president’s refusal to reach a deal with the international financial institution turns into a populist policy: the financial institution’s top management fears that Saied may blame the IMF for the worsening economic situation after the loan is paid.
IMF’s “tears and blood” reforms
But what is the IMF responsible for deciding Tunisia’s economic future as well? The international organization, a branch of the UN, is made up of 190 member states and exercises strong power and control over the world economy and the economy of individual countries overwhelmed by the financial crisis.
The fund has a complex structure. Because within it is the main governing body, the Council of Governors (Board of Governors), which consists of a governor (usually each country’s minister of finance) and a deputy governor appointed by each member state. The Board of Governors may delegate its powers to the Board of Directors, except for certain reserved powers. However, the figure of the director is crucial, as it represents the maximum operational authority.
Therefore, the IMF provides financial assistance to member countries to deal with the financial crisis (on the other hand, the World Bank deals with structural and long-term crises) through beneficial economic policy measures and reforms to correct short-term economic imbalances. Over the years, the Fund has developed a large number of financing instruments to meet the different needs of member countries. In financial organization, the principle of “one country, one vote” does not apply, since each state has one vote proportional to its share (paid-up capital). For example, the United States is 17.68% and Italy is 3.36%.
The international organization gives short-term loans to help a country in financial difficulties, considering the restructuring of foreign debt in the most serious cases. But he doesn’t write blank checks. In fact, the IMF imposes a well-thought-out recovery plan on countries: almost haphazard cuts in public spending, privatizations and liberalization, and opening up to foreign capital. The Fund therefore seeks drastic measures, first of all to respond to the need to quickly repay the loaned money, in order to rebuild the available capital for future interventions in other countries.
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The IMF’s intervention can be read as an intervention and an intervention in national sovereignty. The leader of a country that receives financial aid from the Fund is risking protest and even revolt from a people unwilling to go through reforms involving “tears and blood”. Unless he decides to resort to violence to suppress the riots.
However, the possibility of civil war in Tunisia does not frighten Italy. The Italian government, on the other hand, prefers to turn a blind eye to the human rights violations that have taken place on the Libyan and Algerian border in recent days in order to prevent the economic collapse of the North African country and thus to prevent the increase of immigrants on our coasts. The purpose of Rome’s sovereign rule is one: to stop the immigrants and fulfill their electoral promises. at any cost.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
