The head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, Mustafa Abdel Kabir, said on Saturday that at least 13 Tunisians were missing after a migrant boat sank off the Tunisian coast while they were trying to sail to Italy.
Abdel Kabir added that rescue teams were able to save two people, one of whom was in critical condition, explaining that the boat set sail at dawn on Thursday.
One of the survivors told rescuers on a local boat that the two had been stranded at sea for hours after the boat capsized.
Tunisia is one of the main departure points for migrants wishing to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, but the number of departures from its shores has declined sharply over the past two years, as authorities have tightened their campaign against migration and strengthened control over maritime borders, with European support that included funding and surveillance equipment.
In a joint statement issued last month, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and dozens of other human rights and humanitarian organizations said that the migration agreement between the European Union and Tunisia has contributed to the worsening of serious abuses against migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia.
The organizations called on the European Union to suspend funding for migration and border control activities in which Tunisian security forces are involved.
Tunisia did not comment on the statement, but has repeatedly asserted that it bears the brunt of a large influx of migrants. President Kais Saied stated in 2023 that this influx aims to alter the country's demographic makeup.
The Mediterranean Sea is one of the world's most dangerous migration routes, with thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East attempting to cross it to reach Europe, often on overcrowded or unseaworthy boats.
