UN expert warns of serious foreign fighters issue in Tunisia

The United Nations working group on the use of mercenaries on Friday warned that complex recruiting and travel networks have taken thousands of Tunisian men, women, and even entire families in their ranks to join various extremist groups to fight in Syria and Iraq.

According to a source from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN group received information that there are some 4,000 Tunisians in Syria, 1,000 to 1,500 in Libya and 200 in Iraq.

Besides, during the mission, the UN group found that there are also 60 Tunisians in Mali and 50 in Yemen, while some 625 have returned from Iraq.

"The number of Tunisian foreign fighters is one of the highest among those travelling to join conflicts abroad such as in Syria and Iraq," said UN human rights expert Elzbieta Karska.

Karska currently heads the UN expert group paying an official visit to Tunisia to gather information on the activities of foreign fighters in the country.

"Sophisticated travel networks operate to take recruits across the porous borders, and sometimes through areas where trafficking in people and illicit goods may not be effectively controlled," Karska noted.

The UN experts also drew special attention to the possible links between the phenomena of mercenaries and foreign fighters.

"It was reported to us that recruiters in these networks are well paid. One figure given is that of 3,000 to 10,000 U.S. dollars per new recruit, depending on the person's qualifications," Karska revealed.

"We were told repeatedly that many foreign fighters undertake training in Libya before going to Syria, and that the instability in Libya has fuelled a lot of the support activities for the growth, training, and travel for foreign fighters," she said, adding that resolution of the conflict and political impasse in that country would thus benefit Tunisia's counter-terrorism efforts considerably.

According to the UN experts, among the motivational factors which account for the high number of Tunisian foreign fighters, varies from religious and political ideologies, financial gains, economic and social conditions, sense of purpose, to the sense of belonging.

The majority of Tunisians travelling to join extremist groups abroad seem to be young people, usually 18 to 35 years old, including some women, the experts said.

The experts said they urged the Tunisian government to adopt a national strategic plan to address the issue in an all-inclusive, multifaceted and strategic way. They also welcomed the Tunisian authorities' efforts to consider alternatives to prosecution for returnee fighters, including social, cultural and religious approaches.

The expert group will present their first report on the issue of foreign fighters to the UN General Assembly later this year, which will include facts gathered during their recent eight-day visit to Tunisia and other countries, and the information shared by United Nations member states and other actors.