Tunisian authorities on Thursday dismantled a number of makeshift camps once again, which had been set up by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in olive groves in the central-eastern part of the country. The move comes amid a rising wave of “voluntary returns” of migrants to their countries of origin.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), units of the National Guard set fire to several tents within these camps. National Guard spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebabli stated that around 2,500 undocumented migrants were forced to leave the Hanchir El-Ghergheni area in the Amra district, while approximately 800 others were evacuated from the Ouled Hamed camp near Jbeniana.

These measures come amid growing pressure on Tunisian authorities from both local residents and the European Union to curb the flow of irregular migrants transiting through Tunisia toward European shores.