Tunisian authorities considered at least 17 Tunisians missing after they boarded a boat to immigrate to Italy.
Reuters reported, citing Tunisian authorities, that among the missing were two minor children and a woman.
Those fleeing Tunisia were considered illegal immigrants, while a Tunisian activist explained that the increase in illegal immigration from Tunisia comes as a result of the decline in democracy, increasing poverty, and difficult economic conditions under President Kais Ben Said.
Meanwhile, a number of immigrants’ families demonstrated in the city of Bizerte to demand that the authorities intensify the search for missing persons.
The illegal immigration movement escalated again from and through Libya and Tunisia to Europe, especially Italy, which is close to them.
Last year, 2023, witnessed a more than double increase in the number of illegal immigration operations thwarted by Tunisian border guards, compared to 2022, as it reached about 69,963 immigrants in 2023, compared to 31,297 during the same period in 2022.
While more than 2,498 people died in 2023 in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach European coasts illegally, an increase of 70% over the previous year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
