Number of Tunisian migrants arrived in Italy between January and May is 2,206: FTDES

Around 950 undocumented Tunisian migrants, including 354 minors, has arrived in Italy in the month of May, as per reported by an NGO in Tunisia. That is an increase of over 50% on last year’s numbers.

Some 947 undocumented Tunisian migrants, including 354 minors, arrived in Italy in the month of May, a 57% increase from the 601 in the same month the previous year, according to a report by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES).

FTDES said that the total number of Tunisian migrants that had arrived in Italy between January and May was 2,206. The same source said that there had been a rise between January and May in departures of migrant boats from Tunisian shores that the Tunisian authorities had intercepted: 536, an increase of 77% compared with the first five months of 2021.

The number of migrants intercepted rose since the beginning of the year to 7,250, a 31% increase compared with the same period of the previous year.

The report states that these figures show a migratory wave towards the northern shores of the Mediterranean despite an increase in interception operations. It said that this wave could reach a peak in July due to several factors.