Tunisia intercepts 2,500 migrants, arrests dozens of smugglers in 4 days

A migrant from Guinea, Paldy Soulima, sits with other migrants in a public garden in Sfax, Tunisia July 13, 2023. The Italian island of Lampedusa is struggling with a record number of landings by boat migrants crossing from North Africa. Almost 10,000 migrants reached Lampedusa last week, dealing a blow to the credibility of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who won office last year vowing to curb illegal immigration. A Tunisia national guard statement on Tuesday said that 62 human smugglers were arrested and dozens of boats had been seized in its operation. It also prevented about 1,900 sub-Saharan African migrants who tried to enter Tunisia across the land border, the statement said.