Tunisia announced on Tuesday (August 16th) that it had foiled several attempts at illegal emigration to Europe overnight involving 91 people, after a weekend during which more than 650 candidates for exile were intercepted or rescued by the authorities. Tunisians.
The National Guard announced in a press release that it had prevented "
five maritime border crossings and the rescue of 80 people
", including 35 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries, the others being Tunisians.
Read alsoForty migrants stranded at the Greek-Turkish border
In addition, "
preventive operations
" were carried out on the coasts of Menzel Temime (north), Mahdia and on the Kerkennah archipelago (center) and near Zarzis (south) and led to the arrest of 11 people – whose nationality has not been revealed – who were preparing to leave, according to the National Guard.
During these operations, the National Guard says it seized "
a sum of money
" without specifying the amount, a rubber boat and air pumps.
On Monday, the maritime and military authorities announced that they had intercepted or rescued a total of 657 migrants, including an entire family of Tunisians as well as 42 Egyptians who had left Libya after escaping a shipwreck, and foiled a total of 46 attempts at illegal emigration.
Tunisia is going through a serious political and economic crisis and now has four million poor people.
Libya has been in chaos since 2011 with militias managing the lucrative trafficking of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries.
In spring and summer, thanks to milder weather, attempts at illegal emigration from Tunisia and Libya 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.
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.
