“If I found another boat I’d leave again straight away - I’ll never give up,” said Guinean migrant Ali, 20, after he was released at Sfax port. In May last year Tunis signed a deal with Rome, which agreed to supply economic aid in exchange for Tunisian efforts to stem clandestine migration.īut while the Tunisian authorities intercept thousands of migrants a year, most are released once they are back on Tunisian soil, where few want to stay. The North African country, just 130 km from Italy’s Lampedusa island, has long been a launchpad for people fleeing violence and poverty across the continent and seeking refuge in Europe. “I don’t want to stay in Tunisia,” she says. She sobs as she clambers from the rusty home-made vessel onto the coast guards’ modest speedboat. Some two dozen migrants, wearing inflated inner tubes as makeshift life preservers, look downcast as they realize the game is up.īut Fatim, an 18-year-old from the Ivory Coast who spent a year working as a cleaner in Tunis to raise €1,250 ($1,100) in smugglers’ fees, says she will try again. “This is your final warning: stop!” an officer shouts. SFAX: As dawn breaks over the Mediterranean, Tunisian coast guards intercept a flimsy craft packed with migrants, bringing their dream of reaching Europe to an end - for now.
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