Tunisia: Recovery of 6 Decomposed Bodies of Migrant Women, Including an Infant

A judicial source in Tunisia announced on Thursday the discovery of six decomposed bodies of drowned migrant women, including an infant, in the latest tragedy off Tunisia’s coast. Farid Jeha, the spokesperson for the Monastir courts, told the German news agency that the bodies were found by the Coast Guard on the Monastir coast in eastern Tunisia on Wednesday. According to initial forensic information, the migrants were from Sub-Saharan African countries, and it is believed they drowned about a week ago. Among the victims was an infant, around three years old.

Tunisia attracts thousands of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa who wish to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the nearby Italian islands in search of better life opportunities. According to data from the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, which specializes in migration issues, in 2023, around 1,300 migrants drowned or went missing off the Tunisian coast.