Hommam Al Nassim 
Tunisian authorities announced on Thursday that 31 illegal immigration operations were thwarted, during which 1,335 illegal migrants were rescued from drowning in the Mediterranean.
The Tunisian National Guard said in a statement that its units were able to thwart dozens of illegal migrations across the country’s eastern coasts near Italy.
In its statement, the guard stated that the majority of the rescued people were nationals of sub-Saharan African countries.
In a related context, security forces in the southern province of Sfax arrested eight organizers of illegal trips and seized 14 iron boats and 23 marine engines used in these trips.
For years, Tunisia has been witnessing a large influx of illegal migrants wishing to reach the southern shores of the European Union, where thousands have drowned, according to statistics from the International Organization for Migration.
A summit of leaders from Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya launches an initiative to establish a new Maghreb bloc