The Coast Guard (National Guard) in Tunisia announced today, Friday, that it thwarted 25 irregular migration operations and rescued more than a thousand migrants in one night off the eastern coast of the country.
The National Guard added - through its Facebook account - that the migrants who were rescued yesterday evening, Thursday, are 54 Tunisians and 954 from sub-Saharan African countries.
The Guard also announced that it had thwarted 14 attempts at irregular migration from the eastern coasts.
Yesterday, the Tunisian authorities announced that 14 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries had drowned while trying to head to the shores of Italy.
The statements of Tunisian President Kais Saied - described as racist - regarding migrants from sub-Saharan Africa sparked condemnatory reactions by the African Union and international organizations, and American and international concern, which prompted the authorities to announce measures to provide protection for these migrants.
The Tunisian authorities estimate the number of African migrants in the country at about 21,000.
Italy is a major destination for irregular migration across the Mediterranean, and last year it received more than 32,000 migrants, including 15,000 Tunisians.
Since 2014, more than 20,000 migrants have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration.