TUNIS: Two boats carrying sub-Saharan African migrants sunk off Tunisia’s coast on Sunday, killing at least 29.
Five migrants boats have fallen off Sfax in the previous four days. It left 67 missing and nine dead, amid a major surge in boats traveling to Italy.
Tunisia has replaced Libya as the principal departure point for African. As well as Middle Eastern refugees seeking a better life in Europe.
According to Reuters, the Tunisian coast guard rescued 11 people off Mahdia’s shore.
For the past four days, the coast guard halted 80 boats going for Italy. They imprisoned over 3,000 migrants, largely from sub-Saharan Africa.
The latest death follows Tunisia’s arrest of undocumented sub-Saharan Africans.
According to UN figures, at least 12,000 migrants who entered Italy this year sailed from Tunisia, compared to 1,300 in 2022.
The Tunisian Center for Social and Economic Rights said that Tunisia’s coast guard stopped over 14,000 migrants from leaving by boat in the first three months of this year, compared to 2,900 last year.
Moreover, On Thursday, the Italian coast guard rescued 750 migrants in two operations off the southern coast.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned Friday that financial instability in Tunisia could lead to a massive migrant influx to Europe. Meloni urged the IMF and other nations to aid Tunisia urgently to avert collapse.
