Gims Cancels Concert in Tunisia to Protest Anti-Migrant Violence

Rabat – Congolese singer Gandhi Alimasi Djuna, known as Gims, announced on Sunday evening that his concert set to take place on the Djerba island on August 11 has been canceled.

The concert was organized as part of the Urban Music Fest festival.

Gims took his decision as reports of hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants being abandoned by Tunisian and Libyan authorities in the middle of the desert made the rounds.

In early July, deadly clashes in the Tunisian city of Sfax led to a veritable manhunt by the authorities, who transferred thousands of migrants to desert areas near Libya to the east, and Algeria to the west.

According to the UN organizations that work with migrants and refugees, namely the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the migrants were left without food or drink in temperatures of over 40 degrees.

This dramatic situation is said to have led to several deaths.

In his story published on Sunday, the Congolese singer shared photos of migrants in Tunisia, and wrote: “Children, women, men expelled from Tunisia to Libya, are living in inhumane conditions. I cannot maintain my visit to Tunisia scheduled for August 11. I don’t know where the solutions lie, but this extreme distress is unbearable…”.

In an article published by the UNHCR on July 27 about the same issue, the UNHCR and IOM emphasized the urgent need for search and rescue operations for people who are still stuck on both sides of the border and called for a swift resolution to the issue.

This entails identifying people who require international protection, giving them the chance to apply for asylum, and directing vulnerable migrants, such as trafficking victims and unaccompanied minors, to the proper agencies.

The article further elaborated that immigration, refugee status, and asylum-seeking are all protected under national and international laws. International requirements must also be followed in order to grant newcomers access to the country and to ensure their safety.

The article concluded that the UNHCR and IOM urge all parties to maintain their legal responsibilities to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers under international law.

The UNHCR and IOM also said they are prepared to assist the authorities in finding a humanitarian, ethical solution to the situation.