Tunisian Interior Minister Khaled Al-Nouri stated that the Tunisian coast guard intercepted over 74,000 migrants at sea on their way to European shores during the first half of this year. According to the minister, this figure exceeds the number of migrants apprehended throughout all of 2022, which was approximately 45,000.
In statements to the press while participating in a Mediterranean migration forum in Tripoli, Libya, Al-Nouri mentioned that efforts to combat irregular migration cost the Tunisian state over 103 million euros allocated solely for the national guard, not including other losses. Thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries arrive in Tunisia seeking to cross the Mediterranean in search of better life opportunities in European countries.
The government notes that these influxes have serious repercussions on the country's economy as well as on the environmental, health, and agricultural sectors, with most migrants spending the night outdoors in forests and olive farms near the coasts, particularly in the region of Sfax. In July 2023, the European Union signed a memorandum of understanding with Tunisia to limit the flow of migrants to the nearby Italian shores.
