Louise Fallon portrays a homeless lady on the road together with her one-year-old child strapped to her again.
“At 2am, Tunisian youngsters attacked us…they threw stones at us and held a knife to my throat.
“I took my son and fled with out garments. As I ran, my Tunisian neighbor threw a blanket at me.
“They took my cash and broke the whole lot we had.”
Ms. Fallon got here from Ivory Coast a 12 months in the past looking for higher financial alternatives and works in a espresso store.
She was attacked per week in the past after a 41-year-old man was stabbed to demise in a conflict with a number of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
Because the BBC crew entered the town, the temperature contained in the automotive studying 40C (104F), the primary sight we noticed have been dozens of refugees standing by the facet of the dusty street holding “peace” indicators.
Trumpets sounded in assist as locals handed by way of the barracks. We additionally noticed the locals giving bread and water.
However there was little doubt that the hostility to those refugees continued.
Movies of the assault have been extensively shared. One exhibits a masked prison shouting “Black Africans are a risk to us and our ladies” after which urging him to assault the migrants.
In one other, a person shouted, “We’ve got to get all these immigrants out, we do not need them dwelling right here.”
We spent the evening sleeping on concrete with a whole bunch of refugees to know why this metropolis erupted into such violence.
That they had dozens of seen accidents that they instructed us have been from the 4th of July assaults. A lady handed out whereas affected by warmth stroke.
A complete of 25 individuals, together with kids, required therapy in hospital the evening of the assault. One migrant mentioned his seven-year-old brother, who had two damaged legs, was amongst them.
Footage from that evening exhibits the presence of the police, however they appear to lack intervention.
Regardless of a number of requests for remark, the police couldn’t communicate to us.
Nonetheless, the following morning, the authorities responded by forcibly evacuating greater than 100 refugees from the town, heading for the border between Tunisia and Libya.
A further 1,000 individuals have been evacuated from the town to the Libyan and Algerian borders, native Tunisian officers mentioned.
Movies filmed by the migrants on the Tunisia-Libya border and despatched to the marketing campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) present many open wounds and deep wounds.
They are saying we have been crushed by the authorities.
Based on HRW, refugees, asylum seekers and college students have been deported in what seemed to be “collective punishment”. Some have been dwelling in Tunisia legally, whereas others weren’t, he added.
Border officers declined to touch upon the costs.
Nonetheless, Tunisian President Kais Seid on Saturday rejected all abuse of migrants and mentioned they have been being helped by what he referred to as “our values”.
Relative peace has now returned to the streets of Sfax. However in lots of the metropolis’s espresso retailers, the assaults are nonetheless the discuss of the city.
Native shopkeeper and activist Miriam Bribri mentioned she was outraged by final week’s violence however not stunned.
“There have been lots of racist movies on social media. I used to be seeing such hateful posts. So I used to be fearful that the anger was in all probability simply violence.”
She additionally blamed President Saeed. Earlier this 12 months, he made extremely inflammatory feedback that “plenty of sub-Saharan African immigrants” would convey “violence and crime” to the nation.
“The surprising factor was to search out myself within the minority, defending elementary rules in opposition to violence and racism,” she says.
One Fb account criticized for selling the violence in Sfax final week is Sayeb-Etrotor, which implies “clear the streets.”
A number of days earlier than the assault, the web page launched materials advocating that Sfax needs to be “saved” from the refugees.
The group’s supervisor and distinguished influencer, Zeid Mallooli, strongly denies the allegations that the posts have incited violence.
In an interview with the BBC, he mentioned he may solely think about why individuals took to the streets that evening.
“For them, it was a matter of freedom. They thought immigrants would take their houses and reside right here.”
Nonetheless, it was clear that he thought what ought to occur subsequent.
“The rapid answer is for the authorities to spherical up all of the individuals within the middle of Sfax, deport them and put them in camps,” Mr Mallolly mentioned.
Within the middle of Sfax, close to a small rubbish dump, about 300 refugees have arrange camp after being evicted from their houses.
Solely cardboard to sleep on, just a few bushes offering shade from the scorching solar, the odor of rotting meals from the rubbish can.
“I’ve spent 4 days right here with my household as a result of we have now no different place to remain. I’m very drained and determined,” mentioned Miriam, a mom of two in Sierra Leone.
She mentioned she is on the lookout for a mortgage to pay again, though that’s nearly unimaginable.
Withstanding the warmth and little or no shade on the streets, they rely solely on handouts from locals.
“I noticed these individuals mendacity on the bottom ravenous,” mentioned one native resident. “So we determined to make sandwiches with my mates. We additionally introduced water and yogurt yesterday. All without spending a dime by the grace of God.”
One other taxi driver mentioned he and his spouse had began internet hosting a mom and daughter after final week’s assault.
“I really feel sorry for the refugees and my metropolis. So I made a decision to host this household. I’ll present them with shelter and meals that my spouse cooks,” he added. “The Tunisian authorities needs to be given all authorized recognition.”
Within the present local weather, the potential of that occuring appears unlikely.
Neither the authorities nor the refugees appear near an answer – or a remaining vacation spot.