The Maridive 601, an Egyptian tugboat that rescued 75 migrants in international waters over one week ago, is still stranded off the Tunisian coast as Tunisian authorities refuse to let it dock.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Tunisia cannot be considered a place of safety for migrants and refugees because the country has no functioning asylum system. Meanwhile, a ship with 75 rescued migrants on board is still waiting for permission to dock in Zarzis, Tunisia.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) assisted in the voluntary repatriation of a first group of migrants who survived shipwrecks off the coast of Tunisia between May 10 and May 12, as part of an assisted voluntary return program.
Officials working for international organizations and institutions have visited Tunisia's border areas with Libya to evaluate the resources available ahead of the potential arrival of refugees fleeing armed clashes in Libya.
A boat carrying people towards Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, with dozens losing their lives in the deadliest migrant boat sinking in months. Nearby fishing boats managed to save 16 people.
Italy and Tunisia have signed several agreements on cooperation in areas including migration and human smuggling. Top government officials from both countries met in Tunis on Tuesday for talks, which also covered the civil war in neighboring Libya.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has set up call centers along popular migrant routes in West Africa, allowing migrants to phone home to their families for free. The two-minute calls help the migrants keep in touch with family members who can often go months on end without any news from their loved ones.
The UN refugee agency's Vincent Cochetel has said that the distribution of refugees and asylum seekers in Tunisia needs to be improved - in order to prevent a "concentration of traumatized people in the same space."
Eight migrants have been rescued from a lorry near the border crossing in Ventimiglia. The migrants, who were from several African countries, had been having trouble breathing and were unable to open the truck from inside.
Tunisia has decided to close the Medenine center for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers due to overcrowding and inhumane conditions.
The Italian government said it has delivered 50 off-road vehicles to the Tunisian National Guard, which it donated for use in operations to fight irregular migration in the North African country.
More and more rejected asylum-seekers are being sent back to Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, according to a new report. The German government wants to designate the countries as "safe" in order to accelerate the process.