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At least nine African migrants drown after boat sinks off Tunisian coast

Tuesday, 01 March 2022 5:45 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 01 March 2022 5:57 AM ]

Hundreds of thousands of migrants have lost their lives in the perilous Mediterranean crossing in recent years. (Via AFP)

At least nine African migrants have drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia as they made a daring bid to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.

Tunisia’s defense ministry said the bodies of migrants – "citizens of various African countries" – were recovered by navy and coast guard patrols off Al-Mahdia province on the Mediterranean coast.

Nine other migrants were rescued, the ministry said in a statement, describing their health condition as critical. The search for other likely survivors was underway.

“Navy units backed by the Coast Guard recovered the bodies of nine migrants from different African countries and rescued nine other migrants, after their boat sank 18 km... off Chebba, Mahdia Governorate," the statement noted.

The statement, citing survivors, said the boat had set out on Sunday night from the port city of Sfax "with the intention of illegally crossing" to Europe.

The mass exodus of people from the African and Middle East countries in recent years has been fueled by poverty, conflict, and persecution, with the direct complicity of Western powers.

EU accused of abandoning migrants to die in the sea

Critics of the European Union’s recent €100m deals for drone surveillance over the Mediterranean Sea accuse the EU of condemning migrants to death and evading its responsibilities toward people in distress.

In recent months, several people have drowned off the Tunisian coast, while attempting to cross to Europe, mainly from Tunisia and Libya.

Italy is a major destination for migrants from Tunisia and Libya, who make the perilous Mediterranean journey, which rights groups describe as the world’s deadliest migration route.

Such incidents have surged since revolts in both countries overthrew their respective leaders in 2011.

While most of the migrants are from sub-Saharan Africa, Tunisians have also been taking dangerous journeys in search of better lives.

In the first nine months of 2021, some 19,500 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean were intercepted by the coast guard, according to the North African country’s FTDES rights group.

More than 1,300 migrants went missing or drowned last year in the Mediterranean, according to the UN refugee agency.

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