No Shore to Land On: Dynamics of the Shipwreck on March 18, 2025
On March 18, 2025, yet another shipwreck occurred just 15 nautical miles off the coast of Lampedusa. 10 people were rescued, 7 bodies were recovered, and 39 people are still missing. They departed from Sfax, Tunisia on the Night of March 16.[1]
On the same night, we learned that 630 people had tried to escape the Tunisian shores. 18 of them died and 612 were pushed back to Tunisia. We fear that after the interception people got deported to either Algerian or Libyan borders. These massive interceptions and deportations should be seen in their brutality and dimension.
Far from the usual flow of arrivals in Lampedusa, since several months, departures from Tunisia have drastically decreased. The Situation for – especially black – People on the Move (PoM) has become very dangerous in Tunisia. With an expansion of police violence and military deployment of equipment along all border areas, with Algeria, Libya and the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, there has been an increase in inland controls, including the establishment of checkpoints and excessive document inspections. Making the mobility in almost every city in Tunisia vey dangerous and increasing the possibility of persecution, especially for people from West and Central African countries[2]. Furthermore, there has been a rise in the criminalization of solidarity movements against lawyers, journalists, researchers, and civil society actors in Tunisia.
This was exemplified just a few days ago, when a person who filmed the arrival of the Tunisian National Maritime Guard vessel (GN3505) at the port of Sfax — following the interception of 612 people during the night of March 16 and 17 — was arrested for doing so. Since there is a general lack of information regarding the activities on the Tunisian coast, the reveal of this interception of around 12 Boats, is an important proof regarding coast guards' activities and their role in being on the front line of Fortress Europe while obstructing people from reaching it.
But way before reaching Europe, most of the people from western and central Africa on the move are forced to live in precarious conditions in self-managed camps under olive trees, being exposed to health problems, police violence, absence of proper humanitarian assistance, rape and deportations to Algerian or Libyan borders.[3]
Interception by Tunisian National Guard from the night of 16th until the morning of 17th of March 2025. (Credits: Maldusa)
Also in Libya, the situation of people on the move has intensified, where people are exposed to daily violence and persecution in public spaces. Between March 12 and 16, in the western areas of Libya, there was a noticeable increase in police control operations, including raids, arbitrary arrests, assaults, murders, and collective expulsions targeting Black people on the move. These operations come from a growing internal social crisis and, more specifically, reflect the direction Libya is taking in terms of security policy in response to increasing pressure from the European Union on migration issues.[4]
This also show the documents published by the Libyan National Security Council, which reveal a new national strategy to address the migratory flows crossing through Libya, framing them as a threat to national sovereignty and identity. The proposals include strengthening border controls, increasing the criminalisation of undocumented people, restructuring the coastal security apparatus, and limiting foreign influence, particularly from international organisations. The documents also stress the need to renegotiate or cancel international agreements—especially with Italy and the EU— as they are considered a threat to Libyan sovereignty. However, it remains unclear whether this comes from the rejection of neocolonial arrangements imposed by European actors, or just an attempt to evade international human rights obligations.
official documents of Libyan Security Council, published on 12.03.25
The rise of repression against people on the move in Tunisia and Libya is made possible by the increase of European pressure regarding border management. Particularly, the role of the Italian government, which, in its desperate attempt to block people on the move from reaching its shores, has chosen to strengthen the authoritarian regimes, becoming an active participant in a deadly system. This complicity is displayed in bilateral agreements as the memorandum of understanding. The funding is mostly oriented for the Ministry of Interior and Defense and mainly used for advanced equipment to improve controls[5]. In addition, Italy in recent months, enabled real traffickers and torturers to stay within Italy and hiding them. Particularly in the case of Ossama al Masry and Abdel Ghani al-Kikli,[6] leaders of Libyan authorities[7] accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity and war crimes[8].
While Italy and the EU are outsourcing violent actions to third countries to avoid direct accountability, they are effectively externalizing not only their borders but also their responsibilities. Indirectly supporting and benefiting from violent interceptions, forced deportations, and torture in detention centers.
Europe and Italy are pushing for the "securitization" of the Mediterranean area to - as they say- prevent death. "Securitization" comes in the form of intense aerial patrolling, increased border control measures and military interventions, performed by Frontex and the so-called Libyan and Tunisian coast guards. On days like this, where 39 people are still missing, we realise once again that this is a one-sided security built solely for the benefit of European states. While portraying an image of safety at the borders, Europe intends to defend itself and fortify the fortress once again.
Frontex is intensively patrolling the two main areas of the central Mediterranean, the Tunisian and the Libyan channel by plane. Frontex is operating with four aerial assets on the island of Lampedusa, as well as some in Malta. Starting from Lampedusa we can see aerial surveillance of the Mediterranean by Frontex three to four times each day. We are wondering, how is it possible that neither Frontex, nor the Italian Coast Guard notices the rubber boat on the 18th of March. How is it possible that these deaths could not have been prevented? We know, that Frontex was patrolling off Tunisian territorial waters as well as the area of the shipwreck on all the days concerned:
- 16/03: The night of departure of the boat with 56 people on board from Sfax. Frontex asset Rima was flying from 8:00 pm to 1:20 am, starting from Lampedusa.
- 17/03: The day that the rubber boat reached the international waters, Frontex asset Osprey3 was flying from 6:00 am until 11:30 am – patrolling twice along the whole territorial border of Tunisia for one hour.
- 18/03: Frontex aerial asset Sparow1 was flying from 1:00 am- 6:00 am; again particularly patrolling the Tunisian territorial border.
- 18/03: Around 11 am Italian authorities were informed about the case, and at 11:51, the Frontex asset Rima took off from Lampedusa airport to reach the area of the shipwreck.
- 18/03: At 16:20 only 10 survivors arrived in Lampedusa, 7 bodies were recovered.
Frontex aerial assets flights between the 16th-18th of March. (credits: Maldusa)
According to survivor testimonies, tension on board escalated as the Italian coast became visible and people waited for rescue. There is reason to believe that many were still alive when the boat neared Lampedusa, and that more lives could have been saved.
What we are witnessing is a policy that extends Europe's borders into third countries, drifting ever further from its responsibilities. When Europe and Italy speak of "security" and "safe borders," it is never about the safety of people — it is about protecting state interests. "Safety" becomes an excuse to maintain control, and in this case, to stop people from arriving altogether.
There needs to be more awareness and action against Europe's involvement in migratory flows on the other side of the shore. The violent outbreaks in Tunisia and Libya, the regularly occurring shipwrecks and the interceptions are the result of anti-migration policies, that criminalize migration in every possible way. Europe shares responsibility for the violence that occurs at its borders, since Europe created them. Civil society actors need to be supported and all states concerned have to confront their role in these issues, as well as prioritizing human lives over power, control, and borders.
We stand in solidarity with those who continue fighting to reach fortress Europe as well as with the 40 people from the shipwreck on March 18th. Who had already caught sight of Italian land, fleeing a deadly reality in Tunisia, only to, after all, find no shore to land on.
[1] https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/63484/italian-coast-guard-finds-6-bodies-40-migrants-missing
[2] Resistance at the borders/ Stories of Life and struggle between Italy and Tunisia January2025.pdf., https://x.com/RefugeesTunisia/status/1900221481134510554
[3] State Trafficking Report, Expulsion and Sale of migrants from Tunisia to Libya, January 2025
[6] https://www.open.online/2025/03/21/abdel-ghani-al-kikli-gheniwa-in-italia-capo-milizia-libica/
[7] Rassegna_Almasri_31_gennaio.pdf, p. 6.