Daijiworld Media Network - Tunis
Tunis, Aug 22: At least 13 Tunisians are missing after a migrant boat sank off the Tunisian coast while attempting to sail towards Italy, a migrant rights group said on Saturday.
Two people were rescued from the boat, which had departed early on Thursday, according to Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights.
One of the survivors told rescuers aboard a local boat that the migrants had been stranded at sea for several hours after their vessel capsized. The second survivor was in critical condition, Abdelkebir said.
The incident highlights the continuing dangers faced by migrants attempting the Mediterranean crossing to Europe in overcrowded or unseaworthy vessels.
Tunisia was previously one of the main departure points for migrants attempting to reach Europe. However, the number of people making the journey from the country has declined sharply over the past two years following a crackdown and tighter maritime controls supported by the European Union.
Tunisia had also become a major departure point for migrants from other parts of Africa seeking to reach Europe.
Many migrants attempting the crossing travel in overcrowded boats that are often unsuitable for the journey, increasing the risk of shipwrecks and deaths at sea.
In July, 46 rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, issued a joint statement criticising the European Union's 2023 agreement with Tunisia aimed at curbing migration.
Under the agreement, Tunisia receives EU funding to strengthen border controls. However, the rights groups alleged that the arrangement had contributed to “reckless and violent interceptions at sea” involving refugees, as well as collective and summary expulsions.
The organisations said the agreement had contributed to serious human rights violations and called on the EU to suspend funding for migration and border-control activities involving Tunisian security forces.
The Mediterranean remains one of the world's most dangerous migration routes.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 35,000 people have gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014.
The Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights has previously estimated that around 10,000 Tunisians have gone missing at sea while attempting to reach Europe since 2011.
Search and rescue efforts and investigations into the latest incident are continuing.