Tunisia Rescues over 14,000 Illegal Migrants in 2023

Illegal migrants are rescued by the Tunisian coast guard. (AFP)
Illegal migrants are rescued by the Tunisian coast guard. (AFP)
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Tunisia Rescues over 14,000 Illegal Migrants in 2023

Illegal migrants are rescued by the Tunisian coast guard. (AFP)
Illegal migrants are rescued by the Tunisian coast guard. (AFP)

Tunisian authorities announced on Friday they have rescued more than 14,000 illegal migrants attempting to reach Europe during the first quarter of 2023.

The Tunisian National Guard said on Friday that from January 1 to March 31, 2023, it thwarted 501 operations to cross the Mediterranea and rescued 14,406 migrants, including 13,138 from sub-Saharan African countries.

The others were Tunisians, it added.

Hossam El-Din El-Jababli, a spokesman for the National Guard, told AFP that these figures are fivefold higher compared to the first quarter of 2022 when “2,532 people were rescued in 172 operations.”

According to Jababli, 1,657 out of them were from sub-Saharan Africa.

The Coast Guard in the central region, which covers the areas of Sfax and Mahdia, thwarted during the first quarter of 2023 388 attempts to illegally cross the sea and rescued 13,259.

The Coast Guards arrested 63 people and seized 135 boats and 12 vehicles used in the illegal operations.

Some Tunisian shores are less than 150 km away from Lampedusa Island and often witness attempts by illegal migrants, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa, to reach Italy.

Dozens of migrants drowned in a string of incidents in March.

On Feb. 21, President Kais Saied spoke of "hordes of illegal migrants" whose presence in Tunisia he called a source of "violence and crimes” with the aim of “changing Tunisia’s demographic composition”.

Hundreds of migrants were deported by their embassies, following Saied’s remarks, but many expressed concerns about returning home and called on the UN to organize flights to safe third countries.

According to the Italian interior ministry, more than 14,000 migrants have landed in Italy since the start of the year, compared to over 5,300 during the same period last year and 4,300 in 2021.



Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
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Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)

Senior Houthi leaders have disappeared from public life in Sanaa, gripped by fear of US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump, now entering their third week, sources in Yemen said.

The first-tier leadership of the Iran-aligned group is believed to have fled the capital, which remains under Houthi control, seeking shelter in remote areas of Saada and Amran provinces.

According to informed sources, the group’s leaders have severed traditional communication channels and several have either gone into hiding or relocated to undisclosed locations as a precaution against possible targeted strikes.

Since the launch of US airstrikes on March 15, senior and mid-level Houthi leaders have vanished from public view and social media platforms, Yemeni sources say, as fear of targeted attacks continues to grow within the group’s ranks.

Informed sources confirmed there has been no trace of the group’s top two tiers of leadership - neither in the institutions under Houthi control in Sanaa, nor on the streets and neighborhoods they once frequented in luxury vehicles.

Even the sectarian events that Houthi leaders were known to regularly attend have reportedly gone on without their visible presence.

The Houthi group has remained tight-lipped about the extent of its human and military losses following US airstrikes ordered by Trump.

However, sources say several leaders not belonging to the ruling family of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi are still believed to be in Sanaa.

Many of these figures have adopted strict security measures to avoid detection, including travelling in vehicles with tinted windows and covering their faces with cloaks when leaving temporary residences, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The precautions reflect growing fears of betrayal or being targeted by further strikes.

A source in Sanaa revealed that third-tier Houthi officials—mostly tribal figures and field supervisors—were instructed to flee to the northern provinces of Saada, Amran and other areas as US air raids intensified.

According to the source, mid-level Houthi officials have lost all direct contact with the group’s senior leadership after the latter switched locations and shut down their communication lines.