By Yamna Salmi
TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – Tunisia said it had foiled six irregular immigration attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe this week.
In a statement, National Guard spokesman Hosam Eddin Al-Jababli said the attempts had been thwarted by naval forces on Jan. 6 and 7 with 230 irregular migrants rescued.
The statement, however, did not provide details about the nationalities of the migrants.
For years, North African countries as Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Morocco have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – to reach Europe, hoping for a better life. While some of the migrants manage to reach their destination, others often die during the journey.
* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report