An Italian Coast Guard official said that 2022 witnessed the arrival of 53,000 illegal immigrants via the Mediterranean from Libya, which was an increase of 70%. The official said most of the immigrants set off from the western region of Libya.

The Head of the third section for plans and operations of the General Command of the Port Authorities, Admiral Giuseppe Aulicino, said in a joint hearing of the Constitutional Affairs and Transport Committees that NGO ships operating on the Cyrenaica-Lampedusa line had rescued more than 11,000 people, 34% of whom departed from western Libya.

He indicated that 105,000 immigrants arrived by sea in 2022, an increase of 56% compared to the previous year, adding that 1,401 of them set off from Algeria and 32,000 from Tunisia, which was an increase of 60%.

According to the Italian official, there are two lines of immigrants’ influx from Libya: the Tripolitania region: 33,000 immigrants departed from there, and the Cyrenaica region, from which 20,000 migrants departed, in addition to the eastern Mediterranean route (Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria) that saw the arrival of 17,000 immigrants.

Tunisia announced Wednesday that President Kais Saied met with the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, and discussed the issue of illegal immigration, emphasizing the common conviction of the two countries regarding the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to this matter that goes beyond the security dimension, addresses its deep causes, and provides mechanisms to deal with it.