Tunisia: 23 people have gone missing in the past two weeks trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Tunisia to Europe, the country’s National Guard said in a statement on Saturday.
The report said they “left overnight between May 3 and 4” from Nabeul, adding that relatives of the missing did not contact authorities until 10 days later.
The National Guard said it had arrested five people suspected of organizing the march at the behest of prosecutors in Nabeul.
Two victims are said to be related to various organizers.
The National Guard also said four bodies had been recovered after thwarting two attempts to cross into Europe and rescuing “52 migrants” near Sfax, the main crossing point to Italy.
The National Guard did not identify the nationalities of the rescued crew or migrants.
But a press release from Benin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “a boat carrying about 50 migrants from different nationalities, including from Benin” sank off the coast of Tunisia between May 16 and 17.
“The ship caused the deaths of dozens of people who are currently being assessed,” the press release said.
It is not yet known whether the shipwreck, reported by the Benin authorities, is related to the Tunisian National Guard prisoners.
Tunisia is the main point of departure for irregular migrants who risk the perilous sea journey in the hope of reaching Europe.
According to the Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES), a non-governmental organization, more than 1,300 people died or went missing in shipwrecks last year.
Last week, authorities reported a 22.5 percent increase in the number of migrants, with more than 2,124 people leaving Tunisia or being rescued in the first four months of 2024.
Between January 1 and April 30, 21,545 people were arrested, compared with 17,576 in the same period last year, according to the National Guard.
