Tunisia retrieves bodies of 14 migrants off Djerba coast

Tunisian coast guard recovered 14 bodies of migrants off the coast of Djerba, a judicial official told Reuters yesterday, raising the number of migrants who have died off the country’s coast in the last two days, amid a sharp increase of migrant boats heading towards Italy.

On Tuesday, the coast guard recovered 22 bodies off the coast of Sfax, and seven others off the coast of Gabes.

Emigration from Tunisia has been on the rise as a result of the financial instability in the country. Between 2011 and 2018, EU assistance to Tunisia amounted to over €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion), including over €1.7 billion ($2 billion) in grants and €800 million ($922 million)in macro-financial assistance, in an effort to help boost the economy and encourage the creation of jobs to entice Tunisians to remain in their country and not make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe.

In mid-July 2023, the European Union reached a long-awaited agreement with Tunisia to cooperate in limiting the flow of irregular migration to Europe’s Mediterranean shores.

Under the memorandum of understanding, the European Union agreed to provide financial and technical support to Tunisia so the latter could deter irregular migration towards Europe. International law experts and humanitarian groups warned that the deal could lead to major violations of human rights instead of helping to solve complex issues.

Read: Italy offers Tunisia $112m in state cash, credit facility