Forced migration governance in Tunisia: Balancing risks and assets for state-making during independence and democratization

Figures & data

Table 1. Tunisia’s forced migration governance of Algerians and Libyans.

	Algerian displacement	Libyan displacement
Moment of political transformation in Tunisia	Decolonization and independence, 1956	Revolutionary upheaval and democratization, 2011
Trigger for displacement from the neighbouring country	Algerian War of Independence: 1954–1962	Libyan Revolution/Civil War: 2011 ongoing
Tunisia’s forced migration governance approach	Framing Algerians framed as Arab brothers in need Algerian displacement framed as a problem and important domestic and international issue Political response Systematic emergency relief Important involvement of IOs and INGOs No long-term integration measures Return operations by the UNHCR at the end of conflict Legal status Prima facie status, no individual asylum procedures Registration by Tunisian authorities and Algerian Red Crescent	Framing Libyans framed as Arab brothers in need Libyan displacement not framed as refugee crisis (in contrast to arrival of non-Libyans) Political response Laissez-faire policy, with a few exceptions Limited involvement of IOs and INGOs No long-term integration measures No return operations Legal status Tourist visa or irregular status, few individual asylum procedures No registration by Tunisian authorities

Table 2. Refugees as risks and assets on domestic and geopolitical levels.

	Domestic level	Geopolitical level	Approach
Algerian displacement	Ideological asset: brothers in need Economic risk: burden in an already weak economy	Ideological asset: towards Africa/other independent countries, also towards France Economic asset: to channel international funds	Supportive-open
	Political risk: Algerian conflict might spill over into Tunisia	Political asset: to assert national sovereignty on the international stage
Libyan displacement	Ideological asset: brothers in need Economic asset: reviving tourism; Tunisian-Libyan migration and labour relations Political risk: security concerns around terrorism, importing tribal conflict	Political risks: towards Libya (potentially jeopardising relations with the winning Libyan faction) and towards the international community (pressures of EU/UNHCR to enshrine asylum law, step up refugee protection)	Laissez-faire