In an operation near the Sfax province coast, the Tunisian coast guard successfully rescued 108 asylum seekers who were attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy, as reported by Al Jazeera on Sunday.
During the rescue operation, the Tunisian coast guard encountered a volatile situation when four asylum seekers attempted to attack the personnel and wreaked havoc by pouring gasoline on the deck of the maritime patrol boat. These individuals were subsequently apprehended.
Moreover, the Tunisian authorities have been actively responding to incidents in the region. Just last Thursday, they retrieved the bodies of 13 illegal migrants and saved 25 others after their vessel sank off the coast of Sfax. The authorities also managed to foil another recent attempt by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to cross the sea border.
Interestingly, Sunday's rescue operation occurred just before the arrival of a European delegation led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. This visit marks their second trip to the north African country since June of last year.
The purpose of the European delegation's visit is to meet with Tunisian President Kais Saied, addressing various topics, including negotiations on a memorandum of understanding for a European aid package to support Tunisia and discuss matters related to illegal migration.
On June 11, the European Union and Tunisia signed a joint declaration, affirming their commitment to a comprehensive partnership package. This package aims to bolster economic and trade relations between the two regions while implementing measures to combat illegal migration.
According to the latest data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 51,215 irregular migrants arrived in Italy by sea in June, with nearly half of them originating from Tunisia.
Alarming figures provided by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), a monitoring body for migration and asylum issues, indicate that the number of dead and missing individuals on Tunisian shores has reached 608 in the first half of 2023.