Several Cameroonians in Tunisia, testify to the aggressions and racist insults they have been subjected to since the controversial remarks of Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed.

Mnay in Tunisia cry out for help as they face barbaric attacks lately, Derick, who has been living in this  country for five years, says he was attacked  by four Tunisians in the street as he was returning thome in the  suburbs of Tunis, the Tunisian capital.

“One of them punched me in the stomach and I fell down. They dragged me and took me to an abandoned house. After stripping me, they confined me. They took turns on me,” he says. When he went to the police station to lodge a complaint, he says he was turned away by the police officer on duty, who asked him to return to his country. Since then, he has found refuge in a UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) hostel, after being evicted by his landlords.

TV5 Monde  opened its mic to Emmanuel, a dancer, choreographer and singer, no longer dares to set foot on the street for fear of being assaulted or arrested. “When I entered Tunisia, it was very quiet. I was walking around, making my videos everywhere without any problem. And suddenly bim! Yesterday, I was at the market, Tunisians surrounded me. They told me that the president had issued a decree that you should go back home, but what are you still doing here? I didn’t know what to say because I was so afraid of being stoned,” he confides.

Pierre, who arrived legally in Tunisia four years ago, has the same feeling of insecurity. According to several Western media, attacks against sub-Saharan migrants have increased in Tunisia in recent days. Fearing for their lives, some want to leave Tunisia and are turning to their embassies to return home. On 22 February, the Cameroonian embassy asked its nationals to approach its services for a voluntary return.