In August, 214 individuals were rescued along Tunisia’s coast while attempting to reach Italy from Libya, according to local sources. UNHCR, provided emergency assistance and support to local authorities on site. 24 persons from the survivor’s group decided to seek asylum in Tunisia.
During the reporting period, Tunisian authorities also carried out more than 200 interception operations, on both land and at sea, involving more than 3,633 individuals, most of them Tunisians. This upward trend noted in recent months already took the lives of hundreds of persons.

Operational Response

A group of demonstrators asking for evacuation from Tunisia has been blocking the entrance to UNHCR office In Tunis, since 7 August, leading to a disruption of protection services. While tensions have been slightly eased following multiple meetings between UNHCR and the group of demonstrators, the blockage has prevented some persons of concern to access protection services such as registration, and status determination. UNHCR subsequently held remote counselling sessions with individuals to continue assessing the situation and exploring solutions.
In August, 20 refugees and asylum seekers in Medenine and Zarzis participated in a training session to improve their knowledge on genderbased violence (GBV) and be more equipped to support GBV survivors in their communities.
Another training was also held for UNHCR partner The Tunisian Refugee Council (CTR) to improve staff capacity in identifying survivors and explore the main forms of GBV in refugee context.