More than 200 migrants were rescued or intercepted this weekend by Tunisian maritime and military authorities as they tried to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean, we learned on Monday.
During the night of Sunday to Monday, "units of the maritime guard from the north, the center, and the south coast succeeded in thwarting 10 attempts to cross the border (maritime towards Italy, editor's note) and rescued 156 people the National Guard said in a statement.
Among these 156 migrants, the authorities have identified 102 nationals of sub-Saharan African countries, the 54 others being Tunisians.
Dozens of people take refuge on an oil platform
Also on Sunday, the national navy "rescued 42 Egyptians" in front of the Kerkennah archipelago (center-east), who had left the Libyan coast the previous night, said Mohamed Zekri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence.
After the sinking of their boat, they had taken refuge on an oil platform in the south-east of the archipelago.
The previous weekend, a boat carrying 30 Tunisian migrants had sunk in the same area, and only 20 had been rescued.
About 15,000 euros for a boat, engines and vests
In addition, during the night from Friday to Saturday, the police prevented another attempt to leave from Hammamet (center-east) of a family of 15 people from Kairouan (center) including five women and four children. very young.
According to a security source interviewed by Mosaïque FM radio, they had spent around 50,000 dinars (around 15,000 euros) to get a boat, two engines and life jackets.
Migrants mainly from Tunisia and Libya
Tunisia is going through a serious politico-economic crisis and now has 4 million poor people.
Libya has been in chaos since 2011 with militias managing the lucrative trafficking of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
In spring and summer, thanks to milder weather, attempts at illegal emigration to Europe tend to increase.
Italy, some of whose coasts are only 200 km from the Tunisian coast, is one of the main entry points for migrants from North Africa.
They come mainly from Tunisia and Libya, two border countries from where departures have started to increase again in the last two years, after a slowdown during the Covid epidemic.
According to the European agency Frontex, the central Mediterranean route was taken by more than 42,500 migrants between January and July, an increase of 44% compared to the first seven months of 2021.
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