TUNIS, Jan 20 (NNN-XINHUA) — A total of 392 illegal immigrants stranded in Tunisia embarked on a home return in the past three days, reported the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) on Friday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that it had facilitated their safe and dignified return, according to the report.
The immigrants included 163 individuals from Burkina Faso, 165 Gambians, 33 Malians, 23 Senegalese, seven people from Guinea and one Liberian.
In 2023, the IOM arranged the return of 2,257 illegal immigrants stranded in Tunisia to their homeland. This figure increased by 45 percent compared to 2022.
Tunisian coasts became major starting points for illegal immigrants of different African nationalities as they attempted to sneak into the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The island of Lampedusa, the first stop usually chosen by illegal immigrants for their sea voyage toward Italy, is only about 80 km from the Tunisian coasts. — NNN-XINHUA