Tunisia - Today (15 September) a group of 16 migrants – among 131 people rescued at sea by Tunisian authorities on 23 August – will be returning home with IOM’s help. Another group of nine migrants who sought IOM assistance will be returning home by the end of the week. Last Friday, seven women from Nigeria and one person from Ghana also were assisted through IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return program. 

The rescue operation on 23 August in the south of Tunisia took place following an SOS call by the migrants and 29 women, one baby and four unaccompanied migrant children (UMC). Upon their rescue, IOM has been providing migrants immediate humanitarian assistance, including hot meals, health care, hygiene kits and clothing. This assistance was possible through the collaboration of Tunisian local authorities, as well as the Tunisian Red Crescent, UNHCR and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). 

Urgent medical cases were transferred to the Hospitals of Medenine and Ben Guarden for immediate care. The most vulnerable persons are hosted temporarily in a UNHCR center, managed by the Tunisian Red Crescent.  

The vessel was not sea worthy and was overloaded with more people than the boat could carry. The migrants struggled at sea for three days, before they were rescued by the Tunisian Navy. Unfortunately, a Nigerian migrant lost his life before the boat could be rescued.

During 2015, 938 people were rescued at sea, either by Tunisian authorities or by Tunisian fishermen in the south of the country. 

Some 758 migrants rescued at sea have been assisted by IOM in Tunisia, thanks to the financial support of the EU, under the framework of the regional project START – Stabilizing At-Risk Communities and enhancing migration management to enable smooth transitions in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya—as well as with funds received from the Swiss Confederation and Norway. 

For further  information, please contact  Lorena Lando, IOM Tunisia, Tel: +216 71 860 312, Email: llando@iom.int