At least 13 Tunisians missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia, group says

At least 13 Tunisians missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia, group notes Tunisia was ‌once a major departure point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, but departures have fallen sharply over the past two years against the backdrop of a crackdown ‌and.

Key points

• The boat set off early on Thursday, Mostafa ‌Abdelkebir, the head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, informed Reuters.
• The groups called on the EU to suspend funding for migration and border-control activities involving Tunisian security forces.
• One of ‌the two survivors informed rescuers in ‌a ⁠local boat they had been stranded at ⁠sea for hours after their vessel capsized.
• Tunisia has not commented on ‌the statement but has repeatedly remarked it is bearing the brunt of a major migration influx.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International ⁠and dozens of other human rights and humanitarian groups remarked in an official note last month that the ‌EU-Tunisia migration agreement had fuelled and normalised serious abuses against migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia. Photo Credit: AP.

At least 13 Tunisians are missing after a migrant boat sank off ‌the Tunisian coast while sailing towards Italy, and two individuals were rescued, the ⁠head of a migrant rights group stated on Saturday (August 22, 2026).

In practice, the boat set off early on Thursday, Mostafa ‌Abdelkebir, the head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, informed Reuters.

One of ‌the two survivors informed rescuers in ‌a ⁠local boat they had been stranded at ⁠sea for hours after their vessel capsized. The second survivor was in critical condition, remarked Mr. Abdelkebir, whose group monitors migration problems.

For context, the groups called on the EU to suspend funding for migration and border-control activities involving Tunisian security forces.

Tunisia has not commented on ‌the statement but has repeatedly remarked it is bearing the brunt of a major migration influx. President Kais Saied remarked in 2023 ⁠that the influx was aimed at changing the country's ⁠demographic makeup.

Notably, the central Mediterranean route is one of the world's deadliest migration routes, ‌applied by migrants from Africa and the West Asia seeking to reach Europe, often in overcrowded or unseaworthy boats.

Taken together, the developments around at least 13 Tunisians missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia, group point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.