Adel Thabeti
31 October 2022•Update: 31 October 2022
TUNIS, Tunisia
Tunisia said Monday that it had foiled six irregular immigration attempts to cross the Mediterranean into Europe.
In a statement, National Guard spokesman Hosam Eddin Al-Jababli said 179 irregular migrants were arrested overnight Monday while trying to illegally cross to Europe by sea.
He said the migrants were from Tunisia and a number of African countries.
In August, Tunisia said authorities had thwarted 1,509 irregular migration attempts since the start of this year.
For years, North African countries as Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Morocco have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – to reach Europe, hoping for a better life. While some of the migrants manage to reach their destination, others often die during the journey.
According to Tunisian authorities, over 20,000 irregular migrants had been arrested in 2021.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar
