The Tunisian navy has rescued 163 would-be migrants, including women and children, off the country’s east coast, the defence ministry said on Sunday. “As part of a joint operation with the coastguard, a naval unit rescued Saturday 163 illegal migrants,” the ministry said, adding that 162 were Tunisians while one was Moroccan. It said nine women and 16 children were found aboard the boat 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) off the coast of Sfax — a key departure area for migrants seeking to make their way to European shores, usually in Italy. The passengers were reportedly aged between eight and 48, the ministry said, and set off overnight Friday to Saturday “with the aim of surreptitiously crossing the maritime borders” to Europe.
The migrants were taken to the Sfax fishing port, where they were handed over to the coastguard. Situated about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the Italian island of Sicily, Tunisia has seen its economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic and was plunged into a deep political crisis after President Kais Saied seized key powers last July. Both Tunisia and neighbouring Libya have served as launchpads for migrants making desperate bids to reach Europe.
The Central Mediterranean route has become the world’s deadliest migration trail, according to humanitarian groups. Departures surged rapidly in 2021, with almost 55,000 migrants reaching Italy in the first 10 months of the year compared to under 30,000 the previous year, according to Rome.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights says that over the first three quarters of last year, the coastguard intercepted 19,500 migrants during crossing attempts. The United Nations’ refugee agency said at least 1,300 disappeared or drowned over the same period.
AFP
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Transcript: The Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another...
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By Arezki Daoud: Since 2011, Libya has been engulfed in a bloody civil war after the death of Muammar Gaddafi. Over the years, it was easy to identify the problem: too many foreign regional players and global powers meddling in Libya’s affairs, explicitly or...
The departure of the French and American troops from Niger created an opportunity for the Russians to replace them. The Russians’ objective is to clearly counter the west and reduce its influence in the Sahel, West Africa and elsewhere on the African continent. The...
Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French exporters. From the onslaught of the Russian grain exports to Algeria, essentially displacing French exporters, to Algeria banning French cattle due to EHDV disease, not all is well between Algeria and France in the agricultural trade sector. The most affected parties in this situation are French producers and exporters, who are looking for new initiatives to fight back.
The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.