Dozens Dead After Migrant Ship Capsizes Off Tunisia

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Facts

• On Wednesday,  Italian state media reported that 41 people are believed to have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, with four survivors arriving in Italy after being rescued by a Maltese carrier.¹
• This news comes as another 16 people died in shipwrecks off the coasts of Tunisia and Western Sahara earlier this week. The number of sub-Saharan migrants traveling through Tunisia to embark on sea crossings into Europe has increased significantly in recent years.²
• In this latest deadly shipwreck, the survivors said they set off on Thursday morning from Sfax and quickly sank within a few hours of leaving shore. Italian authorities don't have official records, but based on the testimony of the survivors, the adults and three children that passed away were from Ivory Coast and Guinea.¹
• As of July 2023, Tunisia has surpassed Libya as the most popular starting point of African migrants seeking transport to Europe to escape conflict and poverty. During the first six months of the year, the number of dead or missing from these perilous journeys soared above 600.³
• According to the UN's High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Lampedusa, a southern Italian island, is serving as a main point of entry for migrants traveling across the Mediterranean Sea. In 2022, out of the 105k migrants to enter Italy, more than 46k entered through this location.⁴

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera (a), ²Al Jazeera (b), ³Reuters and ⁴Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Reuters. Italy acknowledges the perilous and often deadly mission that migrants are embarking on to secure a better life for themselves and their families. To reduce the dangers and the loss of life, Italy has requested EU funding for African nations to increase measures to reduce illegal immigration. Italy has sought a commitment from its EU partners to protect the lives of these migrants. The humanitarian crisis requires every nation to pitch in for education, training, jobs, food, and security for the poorest nations in the world.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Human rights watch. While Italy claims to have the best interests of the migrants at heart, their legislative actions prove differently. The Italian government has been passing laws under the guise of emergency protective measures aimed at deterring migrants from arriving and criminalizing those that do. New laws will impede migrants' ability to seek protection and asylum, and restrict their freedom of movement and their ability to work once inside of the country. Instead of providing a safe haven, Italy is is seeking to make the lives of migrants just as bad, if not worse, than in their homelands.