Tunisia Intercepts 70,000 Migrants in the Mediterranean Since Early 2023

The Tunisian National Guard has intercepted around 70,000 migrants this year as they attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a figure that more than doubles the number recorded in the same period last year, as reported by a spokesperson for the guard to the France-Presse Agency on Saturday.

Tunisia, along with Libya, serves as a major departure point from North Africa for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe. Over the past eleven months, the Tunisian National Guard intercepted 69,963 migrants, compared to 31,297 during the same period in 2022, according to statistics from the guard's spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebali, as per France-Presse.

The statistics show that 77.5% (54,224) of those intercepted were foreigners, mostly from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, while the rest were Tunisians (15,739), compared to 59% foreigners in 2022 (18,363) and 12,961 Tunisians.

The pace of migration operations accelerated following a speech by Tunisian President Kais Saied at the end of February, in which he condemned the arrival of "hordes of illegal migrants" from Sub-Saharan Africa, considering it part of a "criminal plan" to "change the demographic composition" of the country.

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These statements sparked a violent campaign against migrants, prompting African countries (especially Ivory Coast and Guinea) to repatriate thousands of their citizens from Tunisia, while many others took to the sea in dilapidated boats.

In 2023, the majority of migrants (82%) were intercepted near the coast of Sfax (central-east), located 150 kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa, compared to 66% in 2022, according to the Tunisian National Guard.

There was a new surge in the departure of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa this summer after the eviction of hundreds from Sfax following violent incidents that led to the death of a Tunisian, with police transporting many to desert border areas with Libya and Algeria. The United Nations condemned the "expulsion" operations, while Tunisian authorities denied the accusation.

According to several international humanitarian sources recently contacted by France-Presse, "at least 5,500 migrants have been expelled towards the Libyan border and more than 3,000 towards the Algerian border since June," including many who had previously been intercepted by sea and land.

Over 100 migrants perished in the desert between Tunisia and Libya during the summer, according to humanitarian sources, who noted that "mass expulsion operations to Libya and Algeria are ongoing."