Migrants aboard an Italian Coast Guard vessel on August 6, 2022
Image: dpa
Refugees wanted to cross the Mediterranean to Italy in 17 boats. The Tunisian National Guard stops them. The National Guard does not say whether the boats were in distress.
TAccording to authorities, the United States coast guard has “rescued” more than 250 migrants in the Mediterranean who were on their way to Italy. As the Tunisian National Guard announced on Sunday, 85 Tunisians and 170 people from other African countries were among the 255 boat people. They were therefore on the night of Saturday with 17 boats on the east coast of Tunisia.
The National Guard did not say whether the boats were in distress or sank. However, an unspecified amount of cash was confiscated during the operations.
Tunisia and neighboring Libya are important transit countries for refugees from Africa and the Middle East who want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The Italian island of Lampedusa is only about 130 kilometers from the Tunisian coast. In spring and summer, crossings increase because the Mediterranean is comparatively calm then.
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