Overview

• A migrant boat departing from Sfax, Tunisia, sank near Lampedusa, leaving six confirmed dead and 40 missing, with search and rescue operations still underway.
• The Lampedusa boat carried 56 migrants from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Gambia, and sank after rough seas caused the vessel to deflate and take on water.
• In the English Channel, two separate incidents within 24 hours resulted in two migrant deaths, bringing the total fatalities in the Channel this year to eight.
• Italian migration policies, including agreements with Tunisia and Albania and restrictions on NGO rescue operations, face criticism for exacerbating risks for migrants.
• The Mediterranean remains one of the deadliest migration routes, with over 40,000 recorded deaths since 2014, underscoring the urgent need for international action.