More than 1,300 migrants drowned or went missing off the Tunisian coast last year. Never before have so many missing persons been reported in one year. The missing persons represent approximately 75 percent of the total number of missing migrants in the Mediterranean. Human rights organization Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights said this to the Reuters news agency on Tuesday.
Last year, Tunisia became the main departure point for people trying to make the dangerous crossing to Europe. The number of migrants reaching Italy by sea has increased by fifty percent compared to the previous year.
Tunisia deal
The controversial Tunisia deal, which agreed that Tunisia would receive hundreds of millions of euros in exchange for preventing boat migration to Europe, could not prevent the increase in migration. Outgoing minister Mark Rutte played a pioneering role in concluding that agreement, as did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Human rights organizations were critical in advance. Under the leadership of President Kais Saied, Tunisia is becoming increasingly autocratic, and the rights of migrants are under severe pressure. Since the deal was signed, there have been many reports of dead and missing migrants in the desert or at sea near Tunisia, as migration increases.
The increase in the number of drownings and disappearances off the Tunisian coast may continue. In 2024, about a hundred migrants have already gone missing off the coast of Tunisia. Usually, most people risk the crossing in the summer months, because the weather conditions are better.
Also read
Three weeks after Tunisia deal: 41 more deaths after boat disaster in the Mediterranean
#39Record #number #migrants #drowned #Tunisian #coast
