Tunis, April 9 (BNA): At least 23 African migrants are missing and four died on Saturday after their boats sank off Tunisia while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a judicial official said, amid a sharp rise in migrant boats. From a North African country.
Faouzi El-Masmoudi, a Sfax court judge, said the coast guard rescued 53 others off the coast of the southern city of Sfax, two of whom are in critical condition. He added that four bodies were found.
In recent weeks, dozens have gone missing and killed in repeated drownings off the Tunisian coast, as reported by Reuters.
Tunisia has seized on Libya as a major departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in hopes of a better life in Europe. A crackdown on human trafficking in Libya has made Tunisia an accessible option.
The National Guard said on Friday that more than 14,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were intercepted or rescued in the first three months of the year trying to cross into Europe, five times the numbers recorded in the same period last year. .
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said on Friday that Europe risks seeing a huge wave of migrants reach its shores from North Africa if financial stability is not guaranteed in Tunisia.
Meloni called on the International Monetary Fund and other countries to help Tunisia quickly to avoid its collapse.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar said last week that the country needs funding and equipment to better protect its borders. Tunisia has received equipment from Italy in the past years, but Amar said it was outdated and insufficient.
WWA