Protests erupt in Ben Guerdane after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia
Residents of the southeastern Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane took to the streets on Saturday night after a boat carrying 15 migrants sank off the country’s Mediterranean coast, according to Africanews. Protesters blocked roads and set fire to tyres following the announcement of the shipwreck, the report said.
The vessel went down a day earlier off Tunisia’s southeastern shoreline, an area of the Mediterranean that has long served as one of the departure points for migrants seeking to reach European shores. The sinking prompted immediate demonstrations in Ben Guerdane, a town in Medenine Governorate close to the Libyan border that has frequently been at the centre of migration routes through North Africa.
The unrest highlighted the sensitivity of migration in Tunisia’s border communities, where residents have periodically clashed with both migrants and security forces over the human flows passing through the region. Africanews reported that roads into and out of the town were obstructed as crowds gathered into the night.
Ben Guerdane has for years been a transit point for migrants crossing from sub-Saharan Africa, with many passing through Libya before attempting the sea crossing from Tunisian coastal towns. The Mediterranean route between Tunisia and the Italian island of Lampedusa is among the most heavily trafficked in the world, and shipwrecks along the route have been a persistent humanitarian concern.
Tunisian authorities have in recent years stepped up maritime patrols and tightened controls along the border with Libya, while international organisations have repeatedly called for safer legal pathways to reduce the number of dangerous sea crossings. The latest incident is likely to intensify debate in Tunisia over how to manage migration without further endangering lives at sea.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
- Africanews — Protests erupt in Tunisia after migrant boat sinks
- africanews.com — Protests erupt in Tunisia after migrant boat sinks
