At least 15 migrants have been found dead off Tunisia’s coast and on its border with Algeria this week, authorities said on Friday. The deaths come as sub-Saharan Africans face increasing tensions in Tunisia and more and more people seek to leave or transit through the country en route to Europe.
The Tunisian coast guard retrieved the bodies of 13 migrants on Wednesday night and rescued 25 others off the port city of Sfax, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry.
Sfax has been the main departure point in Tunisia for people seeking to reach Europe on risky boat journeys across the Mediterranean Sea, often toward the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The city has also seen clashes between local residents and groups of migrants. After the death of a Tunisian man led to reprisals against the migrants, hundreds were deported to desert areas on the Libyan and Algerian borders.
Two migrants were found dead on theTunisian-Algerian border in the Hazoua region, according to a regional court spokesperson.
The International Organization for Migration says 1,895 people have died or gone missing en route from northern Africa across the central Mediterranean this year, compared with 2,406 in all of 2022.