A spokesman for the coast guard said that during a number of operations, "455 people were rescued, including 289 of various (sub-Saharan) African nationalities, the rest being Tunisians."

"National guard units in the north, centre, east and south thwarted 37 attempts to cross" in total within the bound of Tunisia's maritime borders, the National Guard added in a statement.

Tunisia remains a major point of departure for migrants trying to reach the European Union. Most departures from the North African country head for Italy.

During the warmer spring and summer months, the frequency of departures increases due to more clement weather. However, this can give migrants and smugglers a false sense of security, as waters further offshore can still be extremely choppy.

Each year, hundreds of people die during attempts to cross the Mediterranean.

Read more: Migrants deported to Tunisia from Italy mistreated, NGOs

Migrants keeping Tunisian authorities busy

In recent weeks, the Tunisian coast guard has had to conduct more operations to intercept migrants at sea and save lives.

In late May, the coast guard said that it had rescued 24 people from a boat crowded with migrants. The flimsy vessel sank off the Tunisian port city of Sfax but had reportedly originated from Libya.

However, more than 70 people went missing during the same period.

Earlier in May, the coast guard rescued 248 people in separate operations, while retrieving the bodies of three migrants who had died on a boat which sank off the Tunisian coast.

Well over 15,000 migrants tried to reach the EU from Tunisia last year. That number was up from fewer than 13,000 attempted crossings in 2020, according to the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.

Meanwhile, close to 2,000 migrants went missing or were confirmed as having drowned in the Mediterranean in 2021. That number stood at 1,401 the year before, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Read more: Migrant journeys from Tunisia and Libya end in tragedy

One soldier killed during shootout in southern Tunisia

The migration issue is beginning to increasingly affect Tunisian authorities, as more and more migrants are attempting to leave for Europe off the country’s coast. However, Tunisia’s land borders are also increasingly being dragged into that narrative, and are affected by other smuggling activities as well.

The Tunisian defence ministry said that on Monday, a Tunisian soldier was killed on the southern border after clashing with people smugglers who reportedly were in the midst of transferring vehicles from Libya to Algeria. 

"This afternoon, a military patrol operating in the militarised border area of Bourj al-Khadra responded to an attempted entry of six smuggled vehicles," the ministry said, adding that the occupants of the vehicle had reportedly first opened fire on the patrol. One soldier was left dead and another was wounded in the shootout.

It is unclear whether this particular incident was migration-related, as various products such as electronics and commodities are routinely being smuggled across the arid border regions between Libya, Tunisia and Algeria.

Tunisia is wedged between the two larger North African nations. At its narrowest point, it separates the two countries by only a handful of kilometers.

Read more: 'Mother's Words': Poetry to heal pain for relatives of those missing in Mediterranean

With AFP