TUNIS— The Tunisian navy has rescued 163 would-be migrants, including women and children, off the country’s east coast, the defence ministry said.

“As part of a joint operation with the coastguard, a naval unit on Saturday rescued 163 illegal migrants,” the ministry said.

It said 162 were Tunisians and one was Moroccan.

The illegal immigrants were rescued from a sinking boat off the town of El Louza in the province of Sfax on Saturday night, according to a statement released by the ministry.

Thousands of illegal immigrants attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea every year, and Tunisia is one of the main points of access to Europe through irregular channels.

The ministry said nine women and 16 children were aboard the boat 12 kilometres off the coast of Sfax, which is a key departure area for migrants seeking to make their way to Europe, usually Italy.

The passengers were aged between 8 and 48, the ministry said, and set off overnight on Friday “with the aim of surreptitiously crossing the maritime borders”.

The migrants were taken to the Sfax fishing port, where they were handed over to the coastguard.

About 200km from the Italian island of Sicily, Tunisia has had its economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic and was plunged into a deep political crisis after President Kais Saied seized power last July.

Tunisia and neighbouring Libya have served as starting points for migrants making desperate bids to reach Europe.

The Central Mediterranean route has become the world’s deadliest migration trail, humanitarian groups say.

Departures surged in 2021, with almost 55,000 migrants reaching Italy in the first 10 months of the year compared to fewer than 30,000 the previous year, Italy says.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights says that over the first three quarters of last year, the coastguard intercepted 19,500 migrants during crossing attempts.

The UN’s refugee agency said at least 1,300 disappeared or drowned over that period.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK