Monday 20 March 2023 – 02:54
The Tunisian authorities have announced that they have rescued 635 illegal immigrants of sub-Saharan nationalities off the coast of central Tunisia overnight from Friday to Saturday, following the sinking of their makeshift boats.
National Guard units in the regions of Sfax and Mahdia managed to thwart 18 illegal immigration attempts that took place on the night of March 17 to 18, said the spokesman for the National Guard, in a statement.
Tunisian and Libyan territorial waters are considered a transit zone for most illegal migrant boats bound for Europe.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) notes that 149 illegal migrants have drowned since the beginning of 2022 off Tunisia, recalling that between 2017 and 2021, a total of 42,703 men and 1,251 women reached the Italian coasts, knowing that 53,524 irregular migrants failed to reach Italian territory during the same period.