Sfax-Tobruk: Europe and the Arabs

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed grave concern over reports of hundreds of people missing or dead as a result of multiple shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean Sea in recent days. The organization stated that it is currently working to verify these incidents.

It is believed that several boats have been involved in accidents over the past ten days, and initial information suggests that hundreds of people may be lost at sea or have perished. Severe weather conditions have significantly hampered search and rescue operations. This information was included in the UN Daily News Bulletin, a copy of which we received Wednesday morning.

In a statement, the IOM warned that these tragedies underscore once again the devastating consequences of migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks that "continue to operate with impunity, deliberately sending people to sea in unseaworthy and overcrowded boats, and highlight the urgent need for the international community to intensify efforts to dismantle these criminal networks and prevent further loss of life." Survivors' Testimonies of Drowning

In Lampedusa, Italy, three deaths have been confirmed following a search and rescue operation involving a boat that departed from Sfax, Tunisia. Among the victims were twin girls, approximately one year old, who died of hypothermia shortly before disembarking, according to their mother, a survivor from Guinea.

A man also died shortly after arrival from hypothermia. These deaths once again highlight the extreme vulnerability and security risks faced by those undertaking these perilous journeys, according to the organization.

Survivors from the same operation reported that another boat departed from the same location at the same time as theirs but never arrived. There are serious concerns that this boat may have also capsized. While the fate of this boat remains unknown, there are grave concerns for the lives of those on board.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that information is still incomplete and that it is working to clarify the fate of those who were on board. According to the latest information from Malta, which the IOM is currently verifying, a survivor rescued by a merchant vessel reported surviving a shipwreck in which at least 50 people are feared missing or dead.

Additionally, the Italian Coast Guard is reportedly coordinating search operations to locate other boats that have been reported missing or in distress in recent days. Separately, reports indicate that at least 51 people are feared dead following a shipwreck off the coast of Tobruk, Libya. While the IOM is still seeking official confirmation, the reported death toll points to another major tragedy in the central Mediterranean.

The IOM noted that these incidents occurred during Cyclone Harriet, a severe Mediterranean storm.

IOM warned that smuggling migrants on unseaworthy and overcrowded boats is a crime. This behavior becomes even more reprehensible when departures are organized during severe storms, sending people to sea in conditions that almost certainly endanger their lives.

In the first few weeks of 2026 alone, hundreds of people are feared missing, awaiting the results of ongoing search operations for missing boats. The final death toll could be much higher, a stark reminder that this route remains the world’s deadliest migration corridor. In 2025 alone, at least 1,340 people lost their lives in the central Mediterranean.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reiterated the urgent need for stronger action against the human smuggling and trafficking networks that continue to exploit people ruthlessly and put their lives at risk for profit.

The IOM stated that these criminal networks are responsible for the loss of life and must be held accountable. At the same time, it stressed the critical need to strengthen search and rescue efforts in the central Mediterranean to save lives and ensure the safe disembarkation of migrants.