The Tunisian coast guard confirmed on Monday that 17 migrants are missing at sea, a week after their boat left the northern port city of Bizerte.
The incident has sparked calls from families for intensified search efforts.
“Search operations are ongoing to locate the 17 missing migrants who departed from the Bizerte coast last Monday,” National Guard spokesman Houssem Eddine Jebabli told AFP.
The group includes at least one minor accompanied by his father and one woman, all Tunisian nationals, Jebabli added.
Tunisia and neighbouring Libya have become major departure points for irregular migration, often involving individuals from other countries seeking better lives in Europe.
These journeys across the Mediterranean are notoriously dangerous, and families of the missing Tunisians expressed their concerns during a protest in Bizerte last Saturday.
The fate of the 17 individuals remains unknown, while the recent discovery of bodies belonging to 13 Sudanese migrants who left from Sfax, Tunisia, further highlights the risks involved.
A court spokesperson in Monastir confirmed the discovery on Thursday, adding that 27 others who travelled with them are still missing.
These incidents point to a worrying trend. During the first 11 months of 2023, Tunisian authorities intercepted over 69,000 irregular migrants, marking a significant increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration reports that nearly 2,500 people lost their lives or went missing on the central Mediterranean route in 2023, a 75% increase from the previous year.
Experts attribute this rise to Tunisia’s economic struggles, with the World Bank estimating a mere 1.2% growth in 2023 and an unemployment rate at 38%.
This dire situation pushes many Tunisians to seek opportunities abroad, often resorting to perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. Political tensions since President Kais Saied’s 2021 power grab have further compounded these challenges.
The search for the missing migrants continues, highlighting the urgent need for solutions to address the root causes of irregular migration and the dangers associated with these desperate journeys.
