At least 23 African migrants are missing and four died on Saturday after their two boats sank in Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a judicial official said, amid a sharp increase in migrant boats in the country. North Africa.
The coastguard rescued another 53 people in the southern town of Sfax, two of whom are in critical condition, Sfax court judge Faouzi Masmoudi said. He added that four bodies had been recovered.
In recent weeks, dozens have disappeared and died in repeated drowning accidents off the coast of Tunisia.
Tunisia has replaced Libya as the main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in hopes of a better life in Europe. The crackdown on human trafficking in Libya has made Tunisia a more accessible option.
The National Guard said on Friday that more than 14,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were intercepted or rescued in the first three months of the year as they tried to cross into Europe, five times more than the numbers registered in the same period of the year. last year.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that Europe risks seeing a huge wave of migrants from North Africa reach its shores if financial stability in Tunisia is not safeguarded.
Meloni urged the IMF and other countries to quickly help Tunisia avoid collapse.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar said last week that the country needed funding and equipment to better protect its borders. Tunisia had already received equipment from Italy in recent years, but Ammar said it was outdated and insufficient.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara)
Source: CNN Brasil
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