A heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded off the coast of Tunisia on the night of December 31, 2024, as two overcrowded boats capsized, claiming the lives of 27 migrants. Among the dead were women, children, and a baby, all hailing from sub-Saharan Africa, who had embarked on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in search of a better life in Europe.
The disaster occurred near the Kerkennah Islands, a hotspot for migrant crossings, when the two makeshift vessels, each carrying over 50 passengers, sank in the open sea. Tunisian civil defence teams quickly responded, rescuing 83 individuals from the wreckage. Tragically, the search for missing passengers is still ongoing, raising the grim possibility that the toll could rise further.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers faced by thousands of migrants each year who risk their lives in a desperate bid to escape poverty, conflict, and insecurity in their home countries.
A Desperate Journey
According to Zied Sdiri, the Head of Civil Defence in Sfax, the migrants set sail from near Sfax, a coastal city in central Tunisia, with hopes of reaching European shores, particularly Italy, which is just 150 kilometers away. “They were looking for a better life, as many others before them have done,” Sdiri said. “But the reality of the journey is that it is fraught with peril. The boats were not seaworthy, and the conditions were brutal.”
The victims, most of whom were believed to be from countries like Mali, Niger, and Senegal, were part of a much larger and tragic movement of people seeking to escape the worsening socio-economic conditions in North Africa and the Sahel. “These people are fleeing conflict, extreme poverty, and hopelessness. The Mediterranean has become a final frontier in their quest for survival,” Sdiri added.
In the wake of the disaster, 15 of the survivors were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Among them were women and children who were in critical condition, though their identities and nationalities remain undisclosed.
Central Mediterranean: The Deadliest Route
The incident marks the latest in a string of deadly shipwrecks off the coast of Tunisia. Over the past few weeks, the region has seen a significant uptick in migrant deaths, with 35 lives lost in early December in similar incidents off the coast of Sfax and Jebeniana. These tragedies paint a grim picture of the central Mediterranean route, one of the deadliest migration paths in the world.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2024 saw a horrific spike in migrant deaths across the Mediterranean. “Over 2,200 people died or went missing in the Mediterranean this year. Nearly 1,700 of those fatalities occurred on the central Mediterranean route, which remains the most dangerous,” said UNICEF spokesperson Aisha Mwamba. “Among the victims, hundreds were children, some as young as 3 or 4 years old, making up one in five of the total number of migrants.”
The central Mediterranean route, stretching from Libya and Tunisia to Italy, has long been a hotspot for migrants fleeing sub-Saharan Africa. The combination of dire economic conditions in Tunisia, the political instability in neighboring Libya, and the growing appeal of Europe has made this route increasingly popular, despite the risks involved.
The Role of Tunisia and International Assistance
Tunisian authorities have made repeated efforts to curb the number of illegal crossings, including enhanced surveillance and cooperation with European Union agencies like Frontex. Yet, despite these efforts, the underlying factors driving migration remain largely unaddressed.
In 2023, the European Union pledged €105 million to help Tunisia strengthen its border control efforts. The EU also offered €150 million in budgetary support, aimed at addressing the country’s economic crisis and reducing irregular migration. While these funds have helped in some areas, they have also led to an increase in intercepting migrant boats before they can reach Europe.
But for many migrants, these measures are a mere obstacle in a larger struggle. “People risk their lives because they have no other choice,” said Ghazi Brahim, a local NGO worker with the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES). “They are fleeing from conflict, poor governance, and economic collapse, and when they arrive here, they are left with no options. Migration to Europe remains their only hope.”
Reports from the FTDES suggest that between 600 and 700 migrants died or went missing in Tunisian waters in 2024 alone. While this represents a decrease from the more than 1,300 casualties in 2023, the numbers remain staggering, underscoring the scale of the crisis. Human rights organizations have condemned the EU’s reliance on Tunisia to curb migration, arguing that it fails to address the root causes of the issue.
“The Mediterranean is becoming a graveyard. The international community needs to take responsibility,” Brahim continued. “No matter how much money is thrown at border security, the lives of those trying to cross will continue to be lost until we address the real causes of migration.”
Tunisia’s Economic Struggles and its Migrant Crisis
Tunisia, with its struggling economy, has become both a transit point and a source of migration. With high inflation, widespread unemployment, and declining living standards, many Tunisians themselves are turning to Europe in search of better prospects. But it is the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, where countries are battling insecurity, climate change, and economic hardship, that has created an unrelenting flow of migrants through Tunisia.
In addition to Tunisians fleeing their own country’s dire economic straits, migrants from nations like Mali, Guinea, and Ivory Coast risk their lives each year to reach European shores. According to Frontex, the EU border agency, 2024 saw a 64% drop in irregular crossings to Europe via the central Mediterranean, largely due to stronger enforcement. However, the numbers still represent tens of thousands of people willing to take extreme risks in their journey to Europe.
The European Union’s role in managing this migration crisis has been heavily criticized. Human rights advocates argue that, while the EU may be effectively curbing migrant arrivals through stronger enforcement, the measures do little to address the push factors driving the migration in the first place.
