2023 saw record number of migrant deaths off the coast of Tunisia

Last year, at least 1,313 migrants were reported dead or missing off the Tunisian coast, marking a record high and highlighting the escalating migrant crisis in North Africa, according to a Tunisian rights group. This figure accounts for approximately 75% of the total deaths or disappearances recorded off the Mediterranean coasts of Italy, Libya, and Malta, Ramadan Ben Amor, an official at the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights told Reuters. 

Tunisia has now become the primary migrant departure point in North Africa, surpassing Libya, as individuals seek to escape from poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in pursuit of a better life in Europe. Improving weather conditions since January, have led to surge of African migrants, including Tunisians, on boats bound for Italy, resulting in the death or disappearance of about 100 migrants off the Tunisian coast since mid-January.