As part of 20 illegal sea border crossing operations into Europe. Tunisian authorities have announced that they have foiled 20 illegal migration operations to Europe across the Mediterranean and intercepted 805 people in one night.
In a statement released on Saturday, National Guard spokesman Houssem Eddine Jebabli said Guard units in Sfax (south) and those in Mahdia (east) succeeded on the night of May 5-6. , to thwart 19 illegal maritime border crossing operations and the rescue of 782 sub-Saharans.
“The floating units under the maritime district of the National Guard of Nabeul also, in the same night, rescued 23 Tunisian migrants within the framework of an illegal crossing operation”, specified Jebabli, underlining, in this sense, that legal measures will be taken against them.
Some areas of the Tunisian coast are less than 150 km from the Italian island of Lampedusa. Tunisia has experienced a remarkable increase in irregular migratory flows towards Europe since the beginning of 2022, particularly towards the Italian coasts, in the light of the repercussions of the economic and political crises in the country and the armed conflicts which are ravaging several other African countries.
The coasts of southeastern Tunisia are also frequently the scene of rescue operations for migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa. Other migrants have died or gone missing after their boats sank.
In 2021, the Interior Ministry arrested 20,616 irregular migrants, including 10,371 foreigners, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, according to official data.
