Inflows of migrants on their way to Europe are straining Tunisia’s resources, but the government’s refusal to make economic reforms will likely prevent Tunisia from receiving more funds from the European Union, leaving Tunisia reliant on bilateral relationships for aid. On Dec. 9, Tunisia’s National Guard stated that it had intercepted 70,000 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2023, twice the number from 2022, with foreigners comprising 78% of those intercepted. This data comes as the Tunisian National Guard and law enforcement have been cracking down on migrants to prevent them from moving north to Europe, primarily through the central Mediterranean route to Italy. Despite these efforts, in 2023 the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders recorded the highest number of irregular migrant crossings to the European Union since 2016. Many of these migrants travel through Tunisia from sub-Saharan Africa…
