Italy delighted

Tunisia: 21,000 migrants prevented from leaving the country

In the last four months, the Tunisian authorities have prevented the departure of 21,000 migrants that human traffickers wanted to ship to Italy. "This is a concrete sign that such a complex phenomenon can only be tackled with a joint strategy," said the Italian Ministry of the Interior.

The Italian government is stepping up its efforts to return migrants to their countries of origin. This is being done with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "Thanks to these efforts, 161 people were able to return safely from Tunisia to The Gambia, where they are receiving medical care and support on their integration journey," the Ministry of the Interior in Rome also announced.

Since the beginning of the year, 17,698 migrants have landed in Italy illegally, compared to 45,155 in the same period in 2023, the Italian Ministry of the Interior reported on Monday. More than half of them came to Italy via Libya.