Allegations of rape, beatings and collusion by EU-funded security forces prompt shift in migration arrangements. The European Commission is fundamentally overhauling how it makes payments to Tunisia after a Guardian investigation exposed myriad abuses by EU-funded security forces, including widespread sexual violence against migrants.
![[A man in combat gear, a balaclava and a machine gun stands over a group of men sitting on the ground. A boat and vehicles can be seen in the background]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1c257481babd33b810d95692ec0d41a7516e4467/0_0_4928_3264/master/4928.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Officials are drawing up “concrete” conditions to ensure that future European payments to Tunis can go ahead only if human rights have not been violated. The conditions will affect payments worth tens of millions of pounds over the next three years.
Last year, the Guardian detailed allegations that Tunisia’s national guard had raped hundreds of migrants, beaten children and colluded with people smugglers. Critics will view Europe’s shift in position towards Tunisia as an admission that a controversial Tunisia-EU deal in 2023 prioritised lowering migration to the bloc over human rights.
Until now, the EU has rejected accusations of wrongdoing in its dealings with Tunisia, arguing that it has one of the most sophisticated systems for monitoring human rights violations. Officials, however, now confirm that new arrangements are being prepared for its relationship with the increasingly authoritarian north African state over “the coming years”.
A commission spokesperson described the reset as a “re-dynamisation” of the relationship, adding that a series of subcommittees would be formed over the next three months to ensure human rights were central to its dealings with the country from now until 2027.
