As the EU prepares to send money to Tunisia under a €1bn (£865m) migration deal, human rights groups are urging Brussels to take a tougher line on allegations that Tunisian authorities have been pushing people back to deserted border areas, often with fatal results.
According to an official from an intergovernmental organisation, in July alone Tunisian authorities relocated more than 4,000 people to military buffer zones at the borders with Libya and Algeria.
"About 1,200 people were pushed back to the Libyan border in the first week of July alone," said the source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity. By late August, the source added, their organisation knew of seven people who had died of thirst after being pushed back. An NGO working with refugees put the estimate at between 50 and 70. The Guardian could not independently verify the figure.
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