![African irregular migrants take shelter at a park as they wait for their chance to migrate to Europe using boats illegally in Safaqis, Tunisia on August 09, 2023 [Yassine Gaidi - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AA-20230815-31919415-31919413-AFRICAN_IRREGULAR_MIGRANTS_IN_TUNISIA_WAIT_FOR_THEIR_CHANCE_TO_MIGRATE_TO_EUROPE.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Tunisia said Sunday it had foiled 52 irregular immigration attempts to cross the Mediterranean into Europe, Anadolu Agency reports.
In a statement, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said 1,004 people were arrested during a security operation on Sept. 27-29 in the southern province of Sfax.
According to the statement, 216 Tunisians, 667 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, and 73 people from other nationalities were rounded up.
Sfax is a main route for illegal migrants to cross from Tunisia into Europe.
For years, North African countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Morocco have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – to reach Europe.
According to Tunisian authorities, over 37,000 irregular migrants had been arrested in 2022.
READ: Tunisia intercepts 426 illegal migration attempts in 13 days