Record migrant rescue in Tunisia puts government in tough spot
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The Tunisian National Guard described the overnight operation as a success, announcing the rescue of 612 migrants during multiple “search and interception” missions at sea. The accompanying images were harrowing: officers pulling migrants from the water one by one, lifeless children among the survivors. “A tragedy that highlights the severe dangers of these illegal journeys,” the National Guard said.
The announcement comes as migrant crossings from Tunisia’s Sfax region have surged in recent days. Since mid-2023, olive groves in the area have become makeshift camps for migrants, despite frequent police raids and forced evictions.
Ralph (name changed on request), an Ivorian migrant who arrived in Tunisia in 2020, has lived in an olive grove for nearly a year. He said he lost two friends in a shipwreck on March 15. “The situation is getting worse here,” he said, expressing fear over escalating tensions in Sfax.
Violent clashes in migrant camps
On March 13 and 14, two young Sub-Saharan migrants were killed in camps near El-Amra, a village with a high concentration of migrants. While the exact circumstances remain unclear, several migrants blamed the violence on so-called “security teams”—bands of young men claiming to maintain order in the camps. Some are feared for their brutality and use of weapons. One of the victims was reportedly attacked with a machete.
“If there’s a problem, we can’t go to the police because they’ll just arrest us,” Ralph said.
The escalating violence has also worried local residents. Since 2023, protests against insecurity have become frequent. On March 8, demonstrators set tires on fire in front of the Jebeniana delegation office after a series of burglaries blamed on migrants. Ralph hopes tensions will ease after Ramadan, as spring is a key season for migrant departures.
‘We already have too many, and they keep bringing more’
The situation has sparked alarmist rhetoric in Tunisian media. Lawmaker Fatma Mseddi, who visited the migrant camps in early March, described the region as a “war zone” and a “state within a state.” She urged President Kaïs Saïed to see the camps firsthand.
On social media, many Tunisians criticized authorities for bringing the rescued migrants back to shore. In a widely shared video, a Tunisian filmed a National Guard patrol boat arriving in the port of Sfax. “We already have too many, and they keep bringing more,” the man said.
Tunisia’s migrant rescue operations are part of its Search and Rescue (SAR) commitments, an agreement the country joined in June 2024 with backing from the European Union—especially Italy. The patrol boat filmed in Sfax, the GN 3505, was refurbished in 2022 with Italian funding. But online, critics blasted the cooperation. “[Italian Prime Minister Giorgia] Meloni is proud of us,” one comment read, while another called the Tunisian government “sold out to Europe.”
With tensions running high, migrants in El-Amra fear further police raids. “On Monday [March 17], we saw a National Guard helicopter circling over the camps,” Ralph said. He worries about being deported, as some migrants intercepted at sea have been. Neighboring Algeria has already carried out a record number of deportations to Niger in 2024, and Libya has ramped up arrests in cities including Tripoli.
Mediterranean crossings remain seasonal
Under pressure from Italy, the EU struck a deal with Tunisia in July 2023, offering $163
million in budget aid and $115 million to curb irregular migration.
These funds have led to a spike in boat interceptions in 2024 and a sharp drop in migrant arrivals in Italy—down 80% from 2023, with 19,246 arrivals from Tunisia this year.
According to the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, nearly 70% of the 14,124 sea interceptions recorded in 2024 took place between March and May.
