“Your country is beautiful,” Catholic Archbishop Discourages Tunisians against Migration

The Our Lady of Trapani procession, also known as the exit of the Madonna was first held in 1910 and stopped in 1964 due to the decrease in the number of Christians living in La Goulette city in Tunis. The ceremony, however, was revived in 2017.

According to the Migration data portal, Tunisia is among six Northern African countries that have historically been and remain significant countries of migrant destination, transit, and departure. Economic, environmental, and political instability are said to contribute to the mixed migration patterns observed in the sub-region.

In April this year, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner’s report indicated that since 2014, over 26,000 people have died or gone missing in their attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

The report also disclosed that over 20,000 people along the Central Mediterranean route, which is considered among the deadliest migration routes in the world have also died or gone missing since 2014.

Earlier last month, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa had to flee from Tunisia to deserts along the border with Libya and Algeria following the racial tensions in the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax (central-eastern Tunisia).

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In his Sunday, July 23 Angelus address, Pope Francis urged governments in Africa and Europe to urgently help migrants in North Africa, who he said are undergoing “unspeakable suffering”.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.