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Tunisia says undocumented migrants in the country received $1 billion this year

Tunisia says undocumented migrants in the country received $1 billion this year

UNDOCUMENTED sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia received three billion dinars (about $1 billion) in remittances from their countries during the first half of 2023, an official from the national security council said in a meeting late on Friday. President Kais Saied, who chaired the meeting, said, "This figure is shocking and indicates that Tunisia is being targeted." Saied denounced this year's undocumented sub-Saharan African immigration to his country, saying in comments criticised by rights groups that it was aimed at changing Tunisia's demographic makeup. The amount of the announced transfers for undocumented migrants is higher than revenues of the vital tourism…
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Morocco’s vaccination drive bypasses undocumented migrants

Morocco’s vaccination drive bypasses undocumented migrants

AHMED ELJECHTIMI MOROCCO is further ahead with its COVID-19 vaccination programme than any other African country, but undocumented migrants are not a part of its plans, potentially undermining efforts to come to grips with the disease. The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged Morocco's tourism sector, and led to a drop in industrial exports. The country hopes that the inoculation programme will help its economy recover. Its vaccination rate of 14 doses per 100 people has outperformed that of much wealthier France and Italy. So far, the programme has concentrated on medics, other key workers, older people and those with chronic ailments,…
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Insights from Morocco into how smartphones support migration

Insights from Morocco into how smartphones support migration

MOHA ENNAJI, Professor, Université Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah FOR undocumented migrants and refugees travelling to new countries, accurate information is vital. Because of this, smartphones – mobile phones that perform many of the functions of a computer, like accessing the internet – have become an important tool. They give migrants access to applications such as Google Maps, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter. These can provide them with information from social media and close contacts. In a recent study, my colleague Filippo Bignami and I investigated the role of smartphones in irregular migration. We wanted to know how they helped migrants reach…
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Why South Africa’s new plan to fortify its borders won’t stop irregular migration

Why South Africa’s new plan to fortify its borders won’t stop irregular migration

INOCENT MOYO, Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Zululand SOUTH Africa has just passed a new law in response to growing concerns in the country about its porous borders. The socioeconomic and security dangers posed by having large numbers of undocumented migrants have become key political issues in the country in recent times. It’s difficult to ascertain how many undocumented migrants there are in the country, leading to exaggerated estimates. According to Statistics South Africa figures from 2011, legal migrants were about 4.2% of the total population, or about 2.1 million people. Over…
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