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Death Toll from Migrant Shipwrecks Off Tunisia Rises

Members of Italian Guardia Costiera prepare to bring on board the migrants of a wooden boat near the island of Lampedusa, in the Mediterranean Sea, September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Juan Medina
Members of Italian Guardia Costiera prepare to bring on board the migrants of a wooden boat near the island of Lampedusa, in the Mediterranean Sea, September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Juan Medina
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Death Toll from Migrant Shipwrecks Off Tunisia Rises

Members of Italian Guardia Costiera prepare to bring on board the migrants of a wooden boat near the island of Lampedusa, in the Mediterranean Sea, September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Juan Medina
Members of Italian Guardia Costiera prepare to bring on board the migrants of a wooden boat near the island of Lampedusa, in the Mediterranean Sea, September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Juan Medina

The death toll from several migrant shipwrecks off the Tunisian coast has risen to 17 people, a judicial official said on Sunday.

On Saturday the Tunisian coast guard said four boats carrying 120 African migrants headed for Italy had sunk off the coast near the city of Sfax, Reuters reported.

Another 5 bodies were recovered on Sunday, adding to 12 found by the coast guard overnight, said Mourad Turki, spokesperson for Sfax Courts. The coast guard said 98 people had been rescued.

The coastline of Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and seeking a better life in Europe.

In recent months, dozens of people have drowned off the Tunisian coast, with an increase in the frequency of attempted crossings from Tunisia and Libya towards Italy.

Hundreds of thousands of people have made the perilous Mediterranean crossing in recent years.

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Hemedti Admits Forces Withdrew from Sudan Capital

A picture shows burnt vehicles in a southern neighbourhood of Khartoum on March 29, 2025, after the military recaptured the capital. (Photo by AFP)
A picture shows burnt vehicles in a southern neighbourhood of Khartoum on March 29, 2025, after the military recaptured the capital. (Photo by AFP)
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Hemedti Admits Forces Withdrew from Sudan Capital

A picture shows burnt vehicles in a southern neighbourhood of Khartoum on March 29, 2025, after the military recaptured the capital. (Photo by AFP)
A picture shows burnt vehicles in a southern neighbourhood of Khartoum on March 29, 2025, after the military recaptured the capital. (Photo by AFP)

The head of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces admitted in a speech to fighters on Sunday that the group had withdrawn from the capital but pledged the RSF would return stronger to Khartoum.

"I confirm to you that we have indeed left Khartoum, but... we will return with even stronger determination," Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in the speech, three days after the group said there would be "no retreat.”

It was Dagalo's first comment since the RSF were pushed back from most parts of Khartoum by the Sudanese army during a devastating war that has lasted two years.

Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, conceded in an audio message on Telegram that his forces left the capital last week as the army consolidated its gains.

Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ruled out any reconciliation with the RSF in a video statement on Saturday in which he vowed to crush the group.

"We will neither forgive, nor compromise, nor negotiate," he said, reaffirming the military's commitment to restoring national unity and stability.

Earlier on Saturday, the army said it had taken control of a major market in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, which had previously been used by the RSF to launch attacks during a devastating two-year-old war.

Burhan also said fighters who "repent to the truth" could still be amnestied if they lay down their arms, particularly those who are in rebel-held areas.