The spokesperson of the Tunisian National Guard, Hussam al-Jabali, announced that 175 irregular migrants were rescued, whose boats sank on July 21 and 22 off the coast of Kabis, Djerba, and Cercis in the south of the country, Nabil in the northeast and Monastir in the east.
Al-Jabali stated that the National Guard units captured 54 people who were preparing to cross into Italy from Bizerte and Binarus in the north, Monastir in the east, and Mednin in the south.
Spokesperson al-Jabali did not give information about the nationalities of the immigrants in question.
Countries in North Africa such as Tunisia and Libya are seen as a point of departure for irregular migrants who want to reach Europe illegally via the Mediterranean.
Every year, thousands of migrants sail from Africa to the Mediterranean to reach Europe in the hopes of a better life. Some of the migrants manage to reach Europe, while others die at sea.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 550 migrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean this year. Likewise, Carlotta Sami, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), had announced on May 4 that at least 500 migrants died at sea while trying to cross to Europe on the Central Mediterranean migration route from the beginning of 2021 until May.
Data from the Italian Ministry of Interior shows that approximately 19,800 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year.
