From: 03/24/2023 21:56
34 migrants are missing after a boat accident off the coast of Tunisia – only four people have been rescued so far. It was the fifth wreck in two days. The country itself is in a deep crisis.
After a boat accident off the coast of Tunisia, 34 refugees are missing. Four of the 38 people on board could have been saved, a spokesman for the court in the Tunisian port of Sfax said. Thus, the boat left on Thursday from the coast of the Sfax region towards Italy and sank today off the coast of Tunisia. All people must come from countries south of the Sahara.
It was the fifth shipwreck in two days, bringing the total number of missing to 67, according to Tunisian sources. More recently, many people from sub-Saharan countries have tried to leave Tunisia.
750 migrants rescued off the coast of Italy
The Italian Coast Guard said on Thursday it had rescued around 750 migrants off Italy’s southern coast in two separate operations. Hours earlier, at least five people had died and 33 were missing in an attempt to cross Tunisia.
A National Guard official said the Coast Guard stopped 56 boats en route to Italy in two days and detained more than 3,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa.
At least 12,000 migrants have entered Italy from Tunisia this year, according to the United Nations, compared with 1,300 in the same period in 2022.
Tunisia is in economic crisis
In a speech last month, Tunisian President Kais Saied called for measures to be taken against illegal immigration from sub-Saharan countries. The speech was met with international outrage.
In some places, Tunisia is less than 150 kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa – a major port of call for Tunisians and other African countries looking to head to Europe.
The country is experiencing a deep economic crisis. He is heavily in debt and is negotiating a €2 billion bailout loan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Situation is “very, very dangerous”
France and Italy asked the country for support. French President Emmanuel Macron called for action to be taken “jointly” at European level to help Tunisia and allow “emigration control”. Macron stressed that “it must be possible in the short term to stop the flow of migrants from Tunisia”. He spoke about it with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“Perhaps not everyone is aware of the risks we face in relation to the situation in Tunisia and the need to support stability in a country facing serious financial problems,” said Meloni. “If we do not adequately address these issues, there is a risk that there will be an objectively unprecedented wave of migration.” Meloni also confirmed plans for a mission to Tunisia that would also include the foreign ministers of Italy and France.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that the situation in Tunisia was “very, very dangerous”. “If the country collapses economically or socially, new flows of migrants will reach Europe. We must avoid this situation.”