ALBAWABA - The Tunisian National Guard reported a 22.5 percent surge in the number of migrants "intercepted on shore or rescued at sea" as they sought to cross the Mediterranean to Italy.
During the first four months of 2024, almost 21,000 people were either prevented from leaving Tunisia or saved. According to a press release from the National Guard, which also oversees Coast Guard operations, 21,545 persons were intercepted between January 1 and April 30, up from 17,576 over the same period last year.
The National Guard stated that the interceptions occurred in an equal number of operations: 751 this year and 756 in 2023. Tunisia and neighboring Libya have emerged as significant departure hubs for migrants, many of whom are from sub-Saharan African countries seeking a better life in Europe.
The National Guard also reported that 21,462 immigrants were blocked from entering Tunisia through its borders with Algeria in the west and Libya in the east, four times the number of 5,256 last year.
The number of alleged smugglers and accomplices imprisoned has more than doubled, with 529 arrests and 261 prosecutions, up from 203 and 121, respectively, the previous year.
Sfax, North Africa's second city, remained the primary point of departure for covert attempts to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is less than 150 kilometers away.
Last year, thousands of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa fleeing poverty and conflict, particularly in Sudan, attempted to cross, as did thousands of Tunisians hoping to escape the country's economic and political upheaval.
