Ramadan Ben Omar, spokesman for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (a civil organization), revealed that the Italian authorities had deported 1,655 migrants to Tunisia this year, criticizing Tunisia’s acceptance of surveillance of its shores by drones imported by Italy from Israel.

He said, in a radio statement, that Tunisia signed an agreement with Italy in 2011, enabling Italian security forces to identify the identities of all those arriving on the island of Lampedusa in cooperation with the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior, noting that “the number of Tunisian migrants deported from Italy until November / November, it reached 1655, according to what was announced by the Italian authorities, while the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior is silent about this matter.

He added, “Tunisia has reopened Tabarka airport, which has been closed for years, in order to receive Tunisians deported from Italy, and there are drones manufactured with Israeli technology that scan Tunisian territorial waters in search of “Harga” boats (illegal immigrants), as these planes send A reference to the Italian security, who in turn informs the Tunisian Naval Guard to stop these boats.

He continued, “Tunisia has accepted Italian pressure on the issue of deporting illegal immigrants, and our position has become weak and humiliating, and we have accepted the role of the Italian border policeman.”

MP Majdi Al-Karbai had revealed an undisclosed agreement between Tunisia and Italy, according to which the former would receive 30 million euros in exchange for becoming a border guard for Europe, by preventing migrant boats from reaching it.