On June 11, it announced it would provide Tunisia with €100 million (£85.5 million) for border management, overlooking reports of abuses committed by Tunisia’s coast guard towards migrants at sea.
Since then, there has been an increase in pullbacks of Italy-bound vessels, migrants and activists say, but the overall number of boats reaching Europe has hardly changed.
“It doesn’t matter if you double the number of police officers or double the number of control operations. There will still be migrants seeking a better life,” said Kharrat, from Al Bawsala.
Adrian, a Cameroon migrant whose boat was intercepted by Tunisia’s coast guard en route to Italy on Wednesday, told The Telegraph that “nothing can stop” migrants like him from reaching Europe.
“We will try again and again,” he said. “We have no other choice.”
Cramped metal boat
To reserve a seat on a cramped metal boat, migrants must pay anywhere from £376 to £877 to Tunisian smugglers, who supply the vessels and organise the trips.
For many, the cost amounts to their life savings – and they get no refund if something goes wrong.
Adrian said he lost all his money when national guardsmen ripped out his boat’s engine and left him and other passengers adrift at sea.
While he was lucky to be brought back to shore by a passing fisherman, he must now find a way to raise more funds for his next attempt to cross. The EU has tried to quell activity along the thriving Mediterranean migration route with little success.
On June 11, it announced it would give Tunisia €100 million (£85.5 million) for border management.
In recent weeks, at least 46 migrants drowned after departing Sfax for the Italian island of Lampedusa, with several bodies washing ashore at a crowded beach.
Back in Sfax, news of these drownings has become routine, eliciting little surprise from migrants intent on escaping “hellish” conditions in Tunisia for Europe.
“The risk is high … but I have no choice but to keep going,” said Felix, who has already tried twice to reach Italy by sea, each time being turned back by Tunisia’s coastguard. “There is no future for us here.”
