Data obtained by Liberty Investigates and the Observer suggests UK coastguards "effectively ignored" some notifications of migrant boats in the Channel in the weeks preceding a shipwreck in November 2021, where at least 27 died.
The cumulative total of migrant fatalities at sea was unprecedented over such a short period, Tunisia's National Guard has declared. The deaths of mostly sub-Saharan Africans come amid an ongoing spike in migration northwards.
The UN refugee agency warned that bloodshed in Sudan could cause 800,000 people to leave for neighboring countries. Meanwhile, clashes in Khartoum have undermined an extended truce.
The government of Djibouti announced a crackdown on migrants entering the country without papers at the end of April. Djibouti is on a key migrant route for migrants coming from the Horn of Africa and the Sahel regions.
A Tunisian fishing boat reportedly attempted to steal the engine of the migrant boat near the Italian island of Lampedusa. There were 34 people on board during the incident.