In a sorrowful incident off the Tunisian coastline, at least five migrants lost their lives, with seven more missing, after their vessel capsized. According to Fawzi Al-Masmoudi, the spokesperson for the Sfax court, who spoke to AFP, there were “35 people on board the boat, including women and children, mostly Tunisians with a possibility of a few sub-Saharan Africans. Rescue operations managed to save 23 individuals, five bodies were recovered, and seven are still missing.”
As the migrant crisis intensifies in the Mediterranean, this event is yet another tragic episode adding to an alarming number of similar incidents. The boat sank nearly an hour after departing from the coasts of Sfax, and among the victims were a child and two women. Sfax has notably been a primary departure point for illegal migrants from Tunisia and other sub-Saharan African nations. This tragedy follows a series of shipwrecks that occurred off the Tunisian coast during the summer months.
United Nations data reveals a haunting figure – over 1,800 individuals have perished since January, trying to cross the perilous Mediterranean route, which is considered the world’s deadliest migration route. This figure almost doubles the previous year’s toll.
Last week alone, two Tunisian migrants, one a child, lost their lives, and five went missing off the coast of Gabes in southeastern Tunisia. Further, a vessel originating from Sfax resulted in at least 11 deaths and 44 missing individuals, with only two survivors, all of them from sub-Saharan Africa. The Tunisian coastguards also recovered 12 bodies off the Qerkennah Islands, which belong to the Sfax governorate.
Recent statistics reflect a surge in migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in March and April. Tunisian President Kais Saied, in a speech on February 21, condemned the arrival of “hordes of migrants” as part of a “criminal scheme” to alter Tunisia’s demographic composition.
Following clashes with local residents, leading to the tragic death of a Tunisian, hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries were evicted from Sfax in early July. Subsequently, the Tunisian police relocated around 2,000 migrants, according to organizations, to borders with Libya and Algeria, leaving them stranded in the desert and isolated regions. Based on a tally by AFP relying on various organizations, at least 27 individuals have died in the Libyan-Tunisian desert since the start of July, with 73 still missing.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that since the beginning of the year, over 95,000 migrants have reached Italy, whose nearest coast is just 150 kilometers from Tunisia.
