Tunisia thwart 12 attempts to cross to Europe, arrest 281 people 

The Tunisian Coast Guard announced that its forces thwarted 12 efforts to cross the sea to Europe and arrested 281 people.

In a statement issued yesterday the National Guard spokesman, Hossam El-Din El-Jabali, said in one attempt on Tuesday, 193 people were rescued at sea after deliberately failing to comply with the National Guard’s instruction. Their boat was sinking as a result of a water leak, he added.

The Tunisian authorities announced that 147 immigrants who held African nationalities and 46 Tunisians were detained by the Coast Guard.

The statement said that “in the context of pre-emptive operations, the National Guard units operating in Mahdia, Boufisha, Manaret Hammamet, Fahs, Jebiniana and Djerba arrested 88 people in homes and in cabs as they intended to participate in operations of irregular immigration to Italy.”

Since the revolution of 17 December, 2010, Tunisia has witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of irregular migrants, despite the tightening of security measures on the coasts.

According to official figures, 22,000 young people illegally immigrated in 2011, heading towards the Italian coasts.

Last August, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) confirmed that there had been a 19.63 per cent increase in unemployment since the previous year.

Irregular migration to Europe continues, especially towards Italy, where migrants hope to find jobs and better life prospects to escape the repercussions of the economic and political crises facing most countries in the region.

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