IOM Calls for Enhanced Safety Following Tunisia Shipwreck That Killed 40 Migrants
IOM Calls for Enhanced Safety Following Tunisia Shipwreck That Killed 40 Migrants
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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued a renewed appeal for increased safety measures along migration routes after a shipwreck off the coast of Mahdia, Tunisia, claimed the lives of 40 migrants, JURIST reported. According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, the deceased included nine women, 19 men, and 12 infants and preschool‐aged children. Rescuers saved 30 individuals from West and Central Africa.
The incident underscores a continuing crisis in the Central Mediterranean migration route: the IOM reports nearly 1,000 deaths and disappearances in the region so far this year. In 2024, the organization recorded 8,938 deaths globally across migration pathways.
In response, the IOM emphasised the need to strengthen “protection‐sensitive search and rescue operations” and to expand safe and regular migration channels for at-risk populations. It extended its condolences to the victims’ families and called on regional and international actors to coordinate effective measures to prevent further loss of life.
The event also triggered renewed scrutiny of Tunisia’s migration policies, with rights groups citing recurring tragedies and the country’s limited asylum mechanisms. The IOM highlighted that many shipwrecks result from migrants undertaking perilous crossings in overcrowded vessels, often facilitated by irregular smuggling networks.
The IOM’s warning comes amid broader calls from the international community to address the root causes of irregular migration—including conflict, poverty and climate change—and to protect vulnerable populations seeking refuge from perilous journeys at sea.
