A total of 16 individuals have lost their lives in separate shipwrecks off the coasts of Tunisia and Western Sahara. The increasing incidents highlight the surge in sea crossings from North Africa to Europe. Tunisia, in particular, has become a significant entry point for refugees, predominantly from various parts of Africa. These individuals undertake perilous journeys in search of better prospects.
Faouzi Masmoudi, the spokesperson for the court in Sfax, Tunisia’s second-largest city near the Mediterranean Sea, revealed, “Seven new bodies have been recovered on Sunday evening.” Among those on board, originating from sub-Saharan African nations, only two have been rescued out of the 57 individuals. Authorities continue their search for the missing passengers.
Survivors of this recent incident, which occurred near Tunisia’s Kerkennah Islands in the Mediterranean, recounted that their makeshift boat departed from a beach north of Sfax with 57 people aboard over the weekend. The distance between Sfax and Italy’s Lampedusa Island is approximately 130 km (80 miles).
In a separate occurrence, Moroccan authorities reported on Monday the retrieval of the bodies of five individuals, all from Senegal. Furthermore, rescuers saved 189 people following a boat capsizing incident off the coast of Western Sahara.
The hospital in Dakhla, the second-largest city in the Western Sahara region, received eleven individuals in critical condition. This information comes from a military source cited by Moroccan state media.
The source indicated that the boat had set off from “a country located south of the kingdom [of Morocco]” and was en route to Spain’s Canary Islands before being discovered off the coast of Guerguart, just north of Mauritania.
Deadly route
The central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Europe holds the grim distinction of being the world’s deadliest route. There have been over 20,000 fatalities since 2014, as reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Tunisia’s interior ministry revealed that as of July 20, a total of 901 bodies were recovered in the Mediterranean. Additionally, 34,290 people had been either rescued or intercepted during these incidents. The majority of these individuals originated from sub-Saharan African countries.
This year, over 1,800 people have tragically lost their lives while attempting the crossing from North Africa to Europe. It marks an increase of almost 900 compared to last year, according to Flavio Di Giacomo, IOM press officer. He noted that the actual figure is likely much higher, as numerous shipwrecks may go unreported.
The Tunisian route, in particular, has experienced a rise in the number of bodies found. This route has become more perilous due to the usage of iron boats by traffickers. These boats easily break apart and sink.
The number of crossing attempts escalated in March and April following a speech by Tunisian President Kais Saied, who claimed that “hordes” of sub-Saharan Africans were contributing to crime and presenting a demographic threat to the predominantly Arab nation. Subsequently, xenophobic attacks targeting Black African refugees, migrants, and students have risen across the country.
Tensions heightened further in Sfax when a Tunisian man’s death occurred in a confrontation with a group of sub-Saharan Africans. In response, hundreds of refugees and migrants were displaced from the city, with Tunisian police reportedly taking them to perilous locations near the Libyan and Algerian borders.
Humanitarian sources estimate their number to be over 2,000, with at least 25 reported deaths in the Tunisian-Libyan border area since the previous month.
