Tunisia and the EU have signed a deal to tackle “irregular” migration – meaning those moving in breach of rules.

Tunisia has become the main departure point for migrants trying to cross the

Mediterranean to Europe. The EU has been struggling to cope, with 72,000 migrants making the journey this year alone, mostly to Italy.

The deal includes $118m (£90m) to stop smuggling, strengthen borders and

return migrants. In recent months, black migrants in Tunisia have faced violent attacks due to an increasingly hostile environment.

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied had accused migrants of partaking in a “plot” to

change the country’s demographic profile, blaming “traitors who are working for

foreign countries”. He later denied being racist.