44 killed in migrant shipwreck in central Mediterranean
The Ansa news agency reported on Wednesday that 41 migrants were killed in a shipwreck that occurred last week in the Central Mediterranean. The report also included survivor accounts from the ones who managed to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa.
According to Ansa, the 4 survivors told rescuers that there had been 45 people including children on the boat.
The boat was incoming from Tunisia’s Sfax, from where it began its journey on Thursday morning before capsizing and sinking a few hours later. Sfax is a known hotbed in the migration crisis.
Three men and a woman from Ivory Coast and Guinea were then saved by a cargo ship and then transferred to the Italian Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard did not have a comment. It had announced two shipwrecks on Sunday, citing 30 missing people from them. It is not known whether these three shipwrecks are related.Â
Related shipwrecks?
The coast guard also confirmed the retrieval of 57 individuals who survived, along with the discovery of two deceased bodies. This comes in response to media accounts suggesting that at least one of the submerged vessels had departed from Sfax on Thursday.
On the Tunisian front, authorities stated on Monday that 11 bodies were recovered from a shipwreck near Sfax and there they were still missing 44 migrants from that sinking.
Incoming migration via boat has more than doubled in Italy compared to 2022, according to recently-updated interior ministry data.
Migration crisis as Africans escape Tunisia
This may be due to the migration crisis that has overcome Tunisia after a allegedly racialised crackdown in Tunisia on Sub-Saharan African migrants. B oats chock-full of migrants left the country to look for a better life in Europe, escaping the racist attacks.
The crackdown was announced by President Kais Saied in February using ‘racialised hate speech’ according to the African Union.Â
African nations in the state were suffering from joblessness and homelessness and forced by violent circumstances to make the dangerous journey that proved fatal for many–evidenced by the sheer number of bodies washing up on the Tunisian shore and shipwrecks discovered in the Mediterranean.
‘Racist’ crackdown in Tunisia
Saied, along with Tunisia’s foreign minister, have dismissed allegations of racism directed at either him or the government. They have unveiled measures to simplify visa protocols for African individuals and have reinforced awareness among the police regarding anti-racism statutes.
Despite the formal clampdown seemingly concluding several weeks ago, migrants claim that they continue to encounter mistreatment.
Statements from detained migrants
“We were evicted from our home, people threw stones at our house,” a migrant called Ibrahim recounted as him and his family were stopped by the coast guard, elucidating the reasons behind their departure from Tunisia. His sentiments were mirrored by additional African migrants encountered by Reuters subsequent to the interception of their boats.
Tunisian Authorities stated that the Tunisian Coast Guard has stopped 30 boats carrying more than 2000 people in the recent past. That day and the following day, 4 boats sank–killing 5.
The dangers of migration are mounting as it increases
The cost of illegal migration is decreasing as migrants rely less on Tunisian fishing boats and opt for cheaper self-purchased metal vessels designed for one trip. Previously 5,000 dinars ($1,600), the journey to Italy now costs just 1,000 dinars, shared by migrants for the boat and engine. Crafting a metal boat at 2,000 dinars, resellable at 20,000, is becoming popular along the coast.Â
Despite risks, migrants interviewed by Reuters leaving Coastguard boats express intentions to attempt the crossing again. The main city hospital, where 200 bodies are stored, grapples with space and odor issues. A new migrant-specific cemetery is planned, given the daily dozens of burials, according to regional health chief Hatem Cherif.
