EuroMed Rights - 15/05/2025

On June 8, dozens of bodies were found along the coasts of Sfax and Mahdia. It appears that migrants originating from West Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa died following the sinking of their boat. On June 10, in a statement, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) condemned the inaction of the Tunisian government and expressed its support to all the grieving families.
On May 29, the spokesman for the National Guard announced that about 3,400 “irregular” migrants had left Tunisia “voluntarily”. On that occasion, he also said that the dismantling of the El Amra migrant camp, which houses some 3,000 people, was still ongoing.
On 23 May, Amnesty International published an article denouncing the increasing criminalisation of solidarity with migrants. This repression particularly affects members of NGOs, such as Terre d’Asile Tunisie. At the same time, the Tunisian government’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric is hardening, and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly exposed to violence.
Following an alert issued by Alarm Phone, SOS Méditerranée intervened on 17 May to provide assistance to three boats in the Tunisian and Maltese rescue zones. A total of 276 people, including 90 minors, were rescued.

15/05/2025 – 13/06/2025