Twenty-seven sub-Saharan African migrants, including women and children, lost their lives after two boats capsised off the Kerkennah Islands near Tunisia.
Civil defence officials confirmed on Thursday that 83 others were rescued in the tragic incidents, which highlighted the continued peril faced by migrants attempting to cross over to Europe.
According to the Head OF Civil Defence in Sfax, Zied Sdiri, the migrants aboard the two makeshift vessels were aiming to cross the Mediterranean for a better life.
The boats, carrying a total of 110 passengers, set sail from near Sfax on the night of December 31.
Search operations were ongoing for potential missing passengers.
Among the casualties was a baby, while 15 of the survivors were taken to a hospital for medical care.
Tunisia’s National Guard confirmed the death toll and provided further updates, describing the victims as primarily sub-Saharan Africans.
The shipwreck was the latest in a series of deadly incidents off Tunisia in recent weeks.
Two Tunisians, including a five-year-old child, died on December 31, 2024 after their boat broke down near the northern coast. Earlier in December, over 35 migrants died or were reported missing in separate shipwrecks near Sfax and Jebeniana.
The central Mediterranean route remained one of the deadliest migration paths globally, with tens of thousands attempting the journey each year.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that over 2,200 people died or went missing in the Mediterranean in 2024, with nearly 1,700 deaths recorded on the central Mediterranean route alone.
“Hundreds of children, who make up one in five of all people migrating through the Mediterranean, are among the victims,” UNICEF noted, adding that most migrants were fleeing violent conflict and poverty.
Tunisia, along with Libya, was a primary departure point for migrants seeking to reach Europe, with Italy’s Lampedusa Island just 150 kilometers away.
Despite efforts to curb irregular migration, the economic crisis in Tunisia, marked by inflation, unemployment, and sluggish growth, continued to drive both locals and sub-Saharan Africans to attempt the dangerous crossing.
In 2023, the European Union pledged €105 million to Tunisia to strengthen its capacity to prevent illegal departures, alongside €150 million in budgetary support.
While this deal has led to increased interceptions and a decline in migrant arrivals in Europe, human rights groups like the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) reported staggering death toll.
The FTDES estimated that between 600 and 700 migrants were killed or went missing in Tunisian waters in 2024, down from more than 1,300 the previous year.
Frontex, the EU’s border agency, reported a 64% decrease in irregular crossings through the central Mediterranean in 2024.
However, the loss of lives underscored the need for more effective solutions to address the root causes of migration.
As the death toll continued to rise, the plight of migrants fleeing poverty and conflict remained a stark reminder of the urgent need for global intervention.