Tunisia’s Ennahda movement issued a statement criticising the government’s slow response amid Russian military attacks, to the evacuation of Tunisian nationals from Ukraine

The movement said the Tunisian authorities were slow in taking necessary measures to evacuate Tunisians from Ukraine. Around 1,500 Tunisians live in Ukraine.

It called on the Tunisian authorities “to bear responsibility and take the necessary measures to protect Tunisians and facilitate their return to the country.”

There was no comment from the Tunisian authorities on Ennahda’s statement.

On Thursday, Tunisian President Kais Saied said efforts were underway to evacuate Tunisian nationals in Ukraine via land borders with Poland.

The roughly 1,500 Tunisians who reside in Ukraine are based primarily in the cities of Odessa, Dnipro, Kharkov and the capital Kyiv.

On Thursday, Russia started a wide-scale military operation against Ukraine amid fierce fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces.