More than 500 illegal migrants have died or gone missing off the coast of Tunisia
More than 13,000 Tunisian migrants have reached the Italian coast illegally since the beginning of 2022, the Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) said on Tuesday.
Some 13,742 Tunisian migrants have managed to reach the Italian coast illegally, compared to 11,042 during the same period in 2021, said the FTDES, which takes a close interest in clandestine migration.
The peak of illegal arrivals was recorded in June with 1,408 migrants reaching the Italian coast.
More than 500 illegal migrants died or went missing off the coast of Tunisia during the same period, the FTDES added.
Attempts to cross illegally to Europe from Tunisia have intensified in recent days, with authorities regularly announcing major interceptions or deaths of migrants after their boats have sunk.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the coast guard announced that it had foiled 34 illegal migration operations and rescued 554 migrants on Monday night alone.
In the spring and summer, when the weather is milder, attempts to emigrate illegally from Tunisia to Europe tend to increase.
Last week, 12 migrants drowned after their makeshift boat sank off the coast of Mahdia, in central-eastern Tunisia.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
