A migrant ship capsized off the coast of Kerkennah island in Tunisia, leaving at least four people dead and 51 people missing. Between January 1 and July 20, this year, the Tunisian coast guard found 901 drowned migrant bodies, a record-breaking number of fatalities off the nation’s coasts.
As the primary entry point for sub-Saharan African migrants seeking a better life in Europe, Tunisia has displaced Libya.
A Migrant ship sinks off
The interior minister of Tunisia reported in July that the country’s coast guard had found 901 drowned migrant bodies off its coast from January 1 to July 20 of this year, an all-time high.
- Migrant ship sinks off Tunisia, killing four, missing 51.
- Tunisia’s coast guard found 901 drowned migrant bodies from January-20.
- People seeking a better life in Europe leave Tunisia instead of Libya.
The country of North Africa is dealing with a record-breaking wave of migration this year, as well as recurrent tragedies involving sinking boats carrying people from sub-Saharan Africa to Italian ports.
People fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in search of a better life in Europe now primarily depart from Tunisia rather than Libya.