At least 13 people missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

At least 13 Tunisians are missing after a migrant boat sank off the Tunisian coast while travelling towards Italy, while two people were rescued, according to Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights.

The boat departed early on August 20, Abdelkebir told Reuters on August 22, Reuters reports.

One of the survivors told rescuers that they had been stranded at sea for hours after the vessel capsized. The second survivor was in critical condition, Abdelkebir said.

Tunisia was previously a major departure point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, but departures have declined sharply over the past two years amid tighter maritime controls and a crackdown supported by European funding and border-monitoring equipment, particularly from Italy.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and dozens of other humanitarian and human rights organisations said last month that the EU-Tunisia migration agreement had contributed to serious abuses against migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia. They called on the European Union to suspend funding for migration and border-control activities involving Tunisian security forces.

Tunisia has not commented on those allegations but has repeatedly said it is bearing the brunt of a major migration influx. President Kais Saied said in 2023 that the influx was aimed at changing the country’s demographic makeup.

The central Mediterranean route remains one of the world’s deadliest migration routes, with migrants from Africa and the Middle East often attempting the crossing in overcrowded or unseaworthy boats.

By Sabina Mammadli