The Tunisian Coast Guard rescued 24 people from Africa aboard a boat that capsized in the sea off the coast of the town of Sfax last night. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, 13 people remain missing and the search for them continues. Those rescued said they came from different sub-Saharan countries.
Over the weekend, the Tunisian Coast Guard halted the departure of three boats from the coasts of Kerkennah Islands and the town of Mahdia, rescuing a total of 119 people from boats in distress. All the people came from different sub-Saharan countries and were reported to the judiciary for trying to emigrate illegally, he said.
The Italian government around Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is strengthening cooperation with North African countries to slow down crossings to Italy. For example, Meloni visited Tripoli on Saturday to discuss measures to combat human smuggling.
According to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, 4,452 people have arrived in Italy after sea voyages across the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2023. In the same period of 2022, there were 2,250. More than 100,000 people arrived in Italy in 2022. Over the weekend alone, around 330 people disembarked aboard the two rescue ships “Geo Barents” and “Ocean Viking” in Italian ports.