Tracing the rise of irregular migration from Tunisia

Since 2020, irregular migration from and through Tunisia has surged. Tens of thousands of Tunisian and foreign migrants have embarked from the country’s shores in an attempt to reach Europe. While not all have used human smuggling networks in their migration attempts, such networks have boomed in recent years, raising both organized crime and protection challenges.

This event will delve into two reports written on the phenomena. First, ‘Losing Hope: Why Tunisians are leading the surge in irregular migration to Europe,’ published in January 2022, will delve into the history and post-COVID-19 development of irregular migration from and through Tunisia to Europe. The second, ‘Tunisia - Growing Irregular Migration Flows Amid Worsening Political Fragility,’ details developments during 2021 and the first half of 2022. The event is the first of a series of three based on briefs published in 2022 that underscore the rebounding importance of smuggling from and through Libya, Tunisia, Niger, Chad and Mali and the ways in which dynamics are intensifying as the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs and a rough peace is maintained in Libya and beyond.