Tunisian authorities rescue 17 migrants following boat accident
SFAX, TUNISIA - OCTOBER 28: Irregular migrants are seen as operation carried out by the Tunisian National Guard against African irregular migrants who want to reach Europe illegally via the Mediterranean Sea, off the city of Sfax in the south of Tunisia on October 28, 2022. ( Yassine Gaidi - Anadolu Agency )
17 Tunisian migrants were rescued by Tunisian authorities, and the bodies of two deceased were recovered following a boat break down in the sea north of Tunisia on Monday 30th December, according to Anadolu Agency
The General Directorate of the National Guard stated that Tunisian Navy units responded to a distress call from a boat of 19 Tunisian nationals attempting to migrate illegally.
Authorities have also detained 4 suspected smugglers who are believed to have organised and facilitated the voyage, which was unauthorised.
This incident follows recent tragedies on December 18, when at least 20 migrants died following a shipwreck off the Tunisian coast, in a pattern of frequent irregular migration from North Africa, and on December 12, when a ship holding about 130 capsized off of the Tunisian coast, killing 2.
READ: At least 20 dead after migrant boat sinks off Tunisian coast
According to the National Guard, Tunisian authorities rescued 30, 281 migrants in 2024, an improvement from the 21, 652 the previous year.
Tunisia has become a hot spot for irregular migration to Europe, following increasing economic and political instability: with a high frequency of reports from Tunisian naval authorities of thwarting migration attempts.
This follows a September 2023 European Commission pledge of €127 million in aid to Tunisia, in attempts to address migration.
