TUNIS: Tragedy struck once again in the Mediterranean Sea as at least five African migrants lost their lives and another 10 remain missing after a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia. The overcrowded vessel was attempting to cross from Tunisia to Italy when it capsized near Louata in the Sfax region on Friday, according to a judicial official.
The Tunisian coastguard managed to rescue 20 migrants who were aboard the ill-fated boat. The Sfax coastline has become an important departure point for people seeking to escape poverty in the Middle East and Africa in search of a better life in European countries.
This latest incident adds to the growing toll of deaths and missing migrants off Tunisia’s coasts, which has exceeded 600 in the first half of 2023, a significantly higher number than in previous years, as reported by Reuters.
Judge Faouzi Masmoudi from the city of Sfax stated that the Tunisian coastguard successfully rescued 11 people from the boat, which had set off from the coastal town of Zarzis.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, a human rights group, reported that the total number of dead and missing in recent boat sinkings has now reached 612, with approximately 33,000 people prevented from boarding boats by the coastguard.
Tunisia Faces Pressure from Europe to Prevent Migrants
Tunisia faces pressure from European countries to prevent the departure of large numbers of people from its coasts. However, President Kais Saied has clarified that Tunisia will not act as a border guard.
The country has witnessed a surge in racist violence against black migrants since President Saied accused them earlier this year of causing a crime wave and plotting to change the country’s demographic composition. Many of these migrants have been left homeless.
Tunisia is home to nearly 21,000 undocumented migrants from several parts of Africa, representing less than 0.2 percent of the entire population. During the winter, hundreds, including children and pregnant women, were left without shelter, leading many to register with their embassies for repatriation, particularly to West African countries.
In their desperation, others have attempted to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats from Tunisia, with the country’s coast lying approximately 130 kilometers from the closest point of the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Rome announced in February that over 32,000 migrants, including 18,000 Tunisians, arrived in Italy from Tunisia last year, while thousands more embarked on the journey from neighboring Libya.
