Tunisia (agencies)
Yesterday, the National Guard in Tunisia announced the arrest of 2,663 irregular migrants in a security campaign on the sea and land borders over the course of a week, along with 56 human smugglers’ intermediaries.
The National Guard said, in data published yesterday, that 432 migrants were seized at sea and 2,231 at the land border.
The Marine Guard also recovered two bodies and saved 44 others from drowning, on their way to the nearby Italian islands. Tunisia is a major crossing point for migrants who mostly flow from sub-Saharan African countries, either across the western border with Algeria or sneaking across the Libyan border to the east.
About a month ago, Interior Minister Kamal El-Feki said that about 100,000 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries are in the country, including 87,000 who arrived illegally with the intention of crossing the Mediterranean.
The fight against irregular migration is at the forefront of negotiations between Tunisia and the European Union, without reaching a final agreement, despite the signing of a memorandum of understanding in mid-July that includes financial pledges and support for Tunisia’s economy.
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