Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated that cooperation with Libya and Tunisia prevented 121,000 migrants from reaching Italy in 2023, including those whose bodies were retrieved at sea.
During a hearing at the Schengen Agreement implementation committee, Piantedosi revealed that 550 smugglers were arrested in 2022 and 2023, as reported by the Italian agency “ANSA”.
The minister mentioned that “157,000 migrants arrived last year, including 17,000 unaccompanied minors, compared to 105,000 in 2022, including 14,000 minors,” and said: “There was a significant increase, but it was contained over the months to less than 50%.”
Piantedosi added that these “figures do not match the government’s goal, but the numbers could have been higher had we not adopted the measures we did in recent months.” He continued that the reception system “held up against the unusual influx, currently hosting about 140,000 migrants.”
Libya and Tunisia are the main starting points for migrants attempting to reach Europe from North Africa via the Italian coasts.
The situation of illegal immigration between Tunisia and Libya has been marked by serious human rights concerns and a shift in migration patterns. Tunisia has recently been identified as a significant departure point for migrants attempting to reach Europe, overtaking Libya in this respect. This increase in migration activity from Tunisia is linked to various factors, including the perceived risks associated with other North African transit routes, like Libya, and the growing number of irregular migrants residing in Tunisia.
There have been alarming reports of the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers at the Tunisia-Libya border. Human Rights Watch and other organizations have highlighted instances where Black refugees and migrants were forcibly taken to the border by Tunisian security services. These individuals were reportedly left without basic necessities such as food, water, or protection against the sun in the desert border areas. Many of these actions by Tunisian authorities have been criticized for violating international law, particularly the principles of non-refoulement and the prohibition of collective expulsions.
