Image source, Claire Press/BBC Image caption,

Hundreds of African migrants have fled their homes in Sfax

By Bassam Bounenni & Claire Press

BBC World Service, Sfax

Standing destitute in the street with her one-year old baby strapped to her back, Louise Fallone describes the moment when masked attackers broke into her home in the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax and chased her out.

"At 2am, Tunisian teenagers attacked... They threw stones at us and held a knife to my throat.

"I took my baby and fled without clothes. My Tunisian neighbour threw a blanket over me as I ran.

"They took my money and broke everything we had."

Ms Fallone arrived from Ivory Coast about a year ago in search of better economic opportunities, and works in a coffee shop.

She was attacked in a wave of xenophobic violence, which happened about a week ago after the fatal stabbing of a 41-year-old local man during an altercation with several migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

As the BBC team drove into the city, with the temperature gauge in the car reading 40C (104F), the first thing we saw were dozens of migrants standing alongside the dusty road holding signs saying "peace".