The Turkish authorities have launched a search operation for undocumented migrants in their country for several months. Since the beginning of this campaign to arrest people in an irregular situation, several Guineans have reportedly been arrested. This is the case of a video in which a Guinean is violently arrested by the Turkish police. Last July, Dialogue Migration spoke with the President of the Council of Guineans living abroad.

The Turkish authorities have recently begun systematic checks on persons in an irregular situation in their country.  At first, this control operation “did not worry African nationals,” says Mamady Condé, president of the Council of Guineans in Etablis in Turkey, but lately it has increased and agents sometimes become violent during arrests.

According to Mamady Condé, even those who have the residence permit are worried. Because “even if your city of residence does not correspond to your city where you were arrested, you are likely to undergo hours or even days of interrogation. And this, even though you are in the same country,” says Mamady Condé.

In the implementation of its new migration policy, Turkey has started a search operation for irregular migrants from all countries. With this new situation, Guineans can no longer escape this control. Many people are arrested in violence. 

This is the case of Mr. Barry Amadou Toupe, a married Guinean father of 3 children. He says he was arrested manu militari quite explicitly in a video that the Council of Guineans Abroad has, at the same time, “sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guinea, to the Director General of Guineans Abroad and to the embassy with the contact details of the Guinean arrested and a note for reaction,” says Mamady Condé.

According to the latter, the fact that Guineans who are currently in an irregular situation can be explained in two situations. “There are those who came to Turkey with a visa allowing them to settle. But also, those who came for study or health reasons.” This is why, with the new provisions, the Turkish authorities only issue residence permits for students and people who have come for medical reasons.

The CGE requests assistance

Faced with this situation, the Council of Guineans Abroad (CGE) sent an explanatory letter and a non-exhaustive list of people in an irregular situation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (AE). The letter was sent under cover of the Guinean embassy in Turkey, in which “he asks for assistance from the department. This, by sending an immigration lawyer to assist detainees through diplomacy and in the name of bilateral relations between the two countries,” the letter reads. She continues”Turkey really has a lot of economic interests in Guinea and the Turks there are never worried about their legality on Guinean soil.”.

Given the situation, the African ambassadors in Ankara engaged in a synergy of action in order to defend the interests “of their compatriots, while recalling the cooperation agreements between Africa and Turkey for an understanding. Otherwise, Africa will reserve the right to apply the principle of diplomatic reciprocity,” says Mamady Condé.

On Turkish territory, several Guineans are in an irregular situation. According to the president of the Council of Guineans in Turkey, there would be hundreds of people and a dozen would be in prisons. 

“We have appealed to all Guineans, especially those who are in an irregular situation or those who know people arrested to register. On this, we have currently identified nearly 200 people. We had received other lists. There are up to 300 people identified and registered. At least 50 people are being held in prison,” says Mamady Condé.