At least 13 missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia coast

Tunis, Tunisia. At least 13 Tunisians are missing after a migrant boat sailing towards Italy sank off the Tunisian coast, while two people were rescued, the head of a migrant rights group said on Saturday. The vessel departed early on Thursday, according to Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights.

Rescue operation

One survivor told rescuers aboard a local boat that those on board had been stranded at sea for hours after the vessel capsized.

The second survivor was in critical condition, Abdelkebir said. His organisation monitors migration issues.

Migration route

Tunisia was previously a major departure point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Departures have fallen sharply over the past two years amid a crackdown and tighter maritime controls, supported by European funding and modern border-monitoring equipment, particularly from Italy.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and dozens of other human rights and humanitarian groups said last month that the EU-Tunisia migration deal had fuelled and normalised serious abuses against migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia.

The groups called on the European Union to suspend funding for migration and border-control activities involving Tunisian security forces.

Tunisia has not commented on the statement, but has repeatedly said it is bearing the burden of a major migration influx. President Kais Saied said in 2023 that the influx was intended to change the country’s demographic makeup.

Deadly crossings

The central Mediterranean route is among the world’s deadliest migration routes. It is used by migrants from Africa and the Middle East seeking to reach Europe, often in overcrowded or unseaworthy boats.