New European “anti-migrant” equipment for Tunis, despite cases of abuse

Brussels – Despite accusations of complicity with traffickers and cases of violence at sea, European funding to Tunisia continues with the aim of outsourcing the fight against migration. Today, 22 January, new search-and-rescue equipment was delivered to the Tunisian authorities, bringing the total value to €130 million since the start of the collaboration in 2015. The EU delegation on site specified that the equipment must be used solely for “security, search, and rescue activities.”

The equipment will be delivered to the Tunisian Coast Guard and the National Guard (paramilitary police force). However, the funding does not take into account that the Tunisian Coast Guard itself has been involved in incidents of dubious legality, documented by Amnesty International, among others, during “rescue and recovery” operations.

During the meeting between the Tunisian National Guard and European representatives, the emissaries from Brussels highlighted the project’s significant results. Particular satisfaction was expressed for the decrease in illegal crossings and the number of missing persons and victims at sea. The Europeans attribute these positive figures to the intensification of rescue operations. However, this interpretation is contested by NGOs, which consider them insignificant given the impossibility of verifying how migrants are actually treated on Tunisian soil. For example, between June 2023 and May 2025, according to Amnesty’s estimates, approximately 11,500 people were forcibly expelled to Libya or Algeria. 

However, the European Union appears to be pleased with the partnership. Since the beginning of 2026, the project has entered its third phase, which is scheduled to run until 2028. The aim is to build advanced radar surveillance infrastructure to strengthen Tunisia’s coastal protection capabilities, thereby stabilising the externalisation of border policies.