'Return to One-Person Dictatorship' Tunisia World Bank Also Suspends Support

The Final Blow of 'Immigrant Hate' Remarks

The World Bank (WB), an international financial institution under the United Nations, has decided to suspend support for Tunisia in North Africa amid growing concerns over a return to dictatorship. Although Tunisia was the birthplace of the pro-democracy movement known as the "Arab Spring," the president's blatant anti-immigrant remarks, as he has been moving toward one-man rule since last year, dealt a decisive blow.

According to major foreign media on the 6th (local time), after the racist anti-immigrant remarks by Tunisian President Kais Saied, the WB has halted preparations for future support programs for the country.

David Malpass, President of the World Bank, expressed concern about Tunisia's current situation and announced internally that the work on the "Country Partnership Framework" for Tunisia would be suspended for the time being.

As a result of this decision, the meeting scheduled for the 21st of this month has also been postponed indefinitely. The Country Partnership Framework is one of the key tools the World Bank operates to help member countries escape poverty and achieve growth.

In the internal notice, President Malpass explained the background of this decision, stating, "Statements that incite racist violence are unacceptable."

Since the Arab Spring in 2011, Tunisia was regarded as the only country in North Africa to have transitioned to democracy, but recently it appears to be returning to a one-man rule system after a decade.

President Saied, who took office in 2019, through a constitutional amendment last year, granted himself the authority to appoint the head of the executive branch, dissolve the parliament, and command the military, thereby consolidating the core powers of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches in his hands.

As public sentiment turned against immigrants who were flocking to the country, President Saied, at the National Security Council on the 21st of last month, made hateful remarks targeting illegal immigrants, saying, "An illegal conspiracy is underway to change Tunisia's population composition," and ordered strengthened crackdowns including detention and deportation.

Following this, police reportedly detained hundreds, and there have been frequent incidents of local residents assaulting immigrants, dismissing them from jobs, and forcibly evicting them from their residences. In response, some embassies, including Mali's, provided temporary shelters for their nationals.

As international criticism spread, President Saied released a video emphasizing human rights and freedom, and the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a press conference stating that it does not practice racial discrimination.

Located in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the departure points for migrants heading to Europe to escape severe economic hardship. In particular, the northern coast of Tunisia is only about 130 km from Italy's Lampedusa Island, making the journey relatively easy.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

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