Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef, Tunisia

The document examines Redeyef, a marginalised Tunisian mining town where economic decline and corruption have made migration a primary strategy for hope. While most young adults aspire to migrate and many have ties abroad, regular pathways are increasingly difficult, leading to a rise in risky irregular migration. Despite strong transnational ties, remittances are limited to a minority of households and have not significantly contributed to the town's collective development.

• Redeyef is characterized by economic stagnation and corruption, largely linked to the decline of the Compagnie de Phosphate de Gafsa (CPG). Job cuts in 2008 triggered protests, and a subsequent government attempt to create 10,000 positions in gardening and environmental protection is viewed as a failed scheme of 'ghost jobs' for the well-connected. Consequently, 80% of survey respondents identify corruption as a serious problem, and 83% of young adults believe the town is changing in 'mostly bad ways'.
• Migration is viewed as a critical strategy for escaping local stagnation, though regular pathways are increasingly inaccessible. While 72% of young adults would migrate to a richer country if they had the necessary papers, 88% believe it is 'difficult or very difficult' for someone from Redeyef to do so. This has led to an increase in irregular migration, despite severe risks: 17% of young adults know someone who died en route, and 49% know someone who was deported or forcibly returned in the last five years.
• Despite strong social ties to the diaspora—with 77% of young adults having family or friends abroad—the economic impact of migration on Redeyef's development is limited. Only 35% of households with migrant ties receive remittances, and for less than 1% of households are these remittances the primary income source. Collective remittances are rare, and migrants are generally perceived as supporting their own families rather than contributing to the town's overall development.

APA

Kasavan, C., Azouzi, S., Hagen-Zanker, J., Carling, J., & Johnson, N. (2022). Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef, Tunisia. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/48e448ae-8782-419d-baa1-20eb4aa4c559/Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef Tunisia.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Kasavan, Camille, Safouen Azouzi, Jessica Hagen-Zanker, Jørgen Carling, and Nicole Johnson. Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef, Tunisia. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2022. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/48e448ae-8782-419d-baa1-20eb4aa4c559/Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef Tunisia.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kasavan |first1=Camille |last2=Azouzi |first2=Safouen |last3=Hagen-Zanker |first3=Jessica |last4=Carling |first4=Jørgen |last5=Johnson |first5=Nicole |title=Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef, Tunisia |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2022 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/48e448ae-8782-419d-baa1-20eb4aa4c559/Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef Tunisia.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kasavan2022migration, author = {Kasavan, Camille and Azouzi, Safouen and Hagen-Zanker, Jessica and Carling, Jørgen and Johnson, Nicole}, title = {{Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef, Tunisia}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2022}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/48e448ae-8782-419d-baa1-20eb4aa4c559/Migration and development dynamics in Redeyef Tunisia.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }