2014 is a year of transition for UNHCR’s populations of concern as there will be a move from being camp-and urban-based to urban areas only. The main locations will be Tunis, and a number of cities in the south, such as Ben Guerdane, Medinine and Zarzis. In 2015, the expected number of refugees will be 551 refugees and 641 asylum-seekers. The main nationalities among the refugees will be Somalis, Sudanese and Eritreans and Syrians, and among the asylum-seekers mainly Ivorians.
During the closure of the Choucha transit camp in 2013, UNHCR initiated a number of activities to support refugees’ move from the camp to urban areas, namely in areas of documentation, health, education, self-reliance and specific support for special needs. The specific actions are discussed in two forums: the inter-ministerial committee at national level in Tunis with participations from various ministries, UNHCR and the Tunisian Red Crescent (TRC), and the camp closure committee at local level in Zarzis with participation from local authorities, regional representatives from line ministries, partner agencies and refugees.
As in the past, refugees, while tolerated by the authorities, do not automatically receive residence permits. In 2012, UNHCR contracted a national legal firm with expertise in human rights to provide legal aid to asylum-seekers and refugees. Among the cases supported, are refugees’ formal requests for residence permits to the Tunisian immigration authorities.
For refugees who moved out from the Choucha camp to urban areas, UNHCR is providing monthly financial assistance as well as a specific installation grant. In Tunis, a small percentage receives a monthly assistance from UNHCR while the majority works in the informal sector. The urban-based support activities in the south for the refugees who left Choucha transit camp will be further strengthened in 2015. The profile of the remaining refugees in the camp who will move to the urban areas is mixed in terms of vulnerability and nationalities. Around 15 per cent have specific needs, primarily unaccompanied minors and people with serious medical conditions (disabilities and mental health). Specifically-tailored solutions for these refugees are being developed through specialised civil society associations and national support structures. The vast majority of the remaining refugees are single males from Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. It is expected that several of them will not liaise with UNHCR and its partners on the urban-based support and self-reliance activities, as their main aim will remain to be resettled irrespective of the local integration conditions in Tunisia. Anticipating reactions of non-cooperation, UNHCR will work with its partners, TRC and Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), to continue the dialogue with the refugees and understand the community leadership better, in order to make use of the local integration conditions and the self-reliance activities that are being offered.
In 2012, two boats arrived with some 50 refugees and asylum-seekers. In 2013, six boats were rescued off the Tunisian coast, with some 600 survivors on board. All but one boat arrival (98 people escorted back to Libya) have had access to UNHCR’s asylum procedures, and humanitarian assistance provided by UNHCR and TRC, with IOM supporting the individuals who wish to return home. UNHCR has developed standard operating procedures on the rescue, disembarkation and response to boat arrivals in Tunisia to strengthen coordination with IOM, the TRC and Tunisian authorities. The involvement of the Government of Tunisia will continue to be encouraged in 2015.