Tunisian gendarmerie foils several attempts of illegal migration, arrests 96 migrants

19 Août 2020

Tunis, Tunisia, August 19 (Infosplusgabon) - The Tunisian gendarmerie Tuesday foiled several attempts of illegal migration and arrested 96 people attempting to sail to Italy, an official source said here.

The illegal migrants were arrested off the coasts of Zarzis, southeast Tunisia, the regions of Monastir and Mahdia, in Sahel and Tabarka (north), a statement issued by the Tunisian ministry of Interior said.

Despite reports by the Tunisian media about the beginning of repatriation of Tunisians on its soil, as was explicitly announced by the Italian minister of foreign affairs, Luigi Di Maio, boats of illegal migrants continue leaving Tunisia to join the Italian coasts.

Since the beginning of the year, 11,800 people have arrived in Italy irregularly, said the UN High Commission for Refugees, as against 3,500 during the same period last year, with Tunisians making up 45 per cent of the number.

The Italian minister of Interior, Luciana Lamorgese, had on Monday during a visit she made to Tunisia, together with an Italian-European delegation, expressed the concern of the Italian authorities over the massive movements of illegal migrants from the Italian coasts, as against previous times when they left from the coasts of Sfax.

Mrs Lamorgese accused those she described as “human traffickers of exploiting the sensitive conditions prevailing in Tunisia to carry out illegal operations that represent threat for the European security", saying Tunisia deserved aid for development.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/OMM/GABON2020

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