By Riches Soberekon
Hundreds of migrants, including children, have been rescued in Tunisia after being abandoned in the desert.
The migrants were reportedly chased out of the city of Sfax by the authorities and driven to inhospitable areas near the Libyan and Algerian borders.
Abdellatif Chabou, President of the Tunisian Red Crescent, said a total of 630 migrants had been sheltered between Sunday and Monday. He said that the figure could rise further in the coming days.
The migrants are being housed in schools in Médenine, Tataouine, and Ben Guerdane. The Red Crescent is providing them with food and water, and has brought 400 mattresses from Tunis to equip the schools.
A group of migrants stranded in the desert south of Ras Jedir sent a video message on Wednesday to the NGO Human Rights Watch, which was then forwarded to AFP.
In the video, one of the migrants pleaded for help, saying that they were suffering and there were children and pregnant women with them. The migrants had not eaten anything since the previous day and they feared that they would die if they did not receive assistance.
However, some migrants are still stranded in the desert. A group of about 100 migrants sent a video distress call to the NGO Human Rights Watch, saying that they had not eaten anything since the day before and were afraid they would die.
The Tunisian authorities have not yet commented on the situation. However, NGOs are calling on the authorities to provide food and water to all the migrants and to ensure that they are not returned to their home countries against their will.
