Tunisian authorities have released Christian Kwongang, the former president of the Association of African Students and Interns in Tunisia (AESAT), who was detained in Tunis last month.
Kwongang, a Cameroonian national and student in Tunisia, was apprehended on March 19 without formal charges or trial while on his way to renew his residency, AESAT stated on Friday.
According to the student group, Kwongang’s release occurred on March 29, though they waited to confirm he wasn’t under further police surveillance before announcing it. He had been transferred from a detention center in Ouardia to a hotel in the capital Tunis, where he remained under police watch until his release.
The Tunisian Interior Ministry stated that Kwongang was held in a specialized center pending deportation due to accusations of violating Tunisian laws and disrupting public order. The ministry also mentioned that Kwongang was receiving assistance from the Tunisian Red Crescent while awaiting deportation to Cameroon.
Kwongang’s detention followed his criticism of a speech by Tunisian President Kais Saied last year, where Saied labeled “illegal migrants” as a demographic threat. This speech led to a surge in anti-migrant violence across Tunisia, affecting numerous sub-Saharan Africans who were evicted from their residences and employment.
During Kwongang’s presidency of AESAT in March 2023, he highlighted how students were impacted by racist violence following Saied’s speech. Witnesses reported targeted attacks on black individuals, prompting AESAT to advise students to avoid attending classes and to only leave their homes when necessary.
Tunisia has seen a significant increase in sub-Saharan African students in recent years, with over 8,000 enrolled in 2021, a fivefold increase from a decade ago. Authorities had expressed intentions to further raise this number.
