Long before the NGOs arrived, Tunisian fishermen were rescuing migrants from boats foundering at sea and burying the bodies of those who did not survive the deadly crossing.
In the southern coastal town of Zarzis, near the border with Libya, fishermen have been rescuing migrants fleeing poverty, violence, and persecution in search of a better life in Europe for more than 30 years. Zarzis is located just 80km from the Libyan border, and the flimsy boats used to smuggle migrants regularly stray into Tunisian waters. Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers, many from the West African nations of Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea, have been rescued by fishermen in the area each year.
Chamseddine Marzoug, a fisherman, cannot forget. “In the corner over there, there is a man without a head,” said Marzoug, pointing to a heap where he buried one of the hundreds of unnamed people found dead at sea. “We found him in the sea without a head.” “What makes me feel sick is that their families believe that their daughter, their son, is in Europe alive and they are waiting for a call or a letter,” Marzoug said of the unmarked graves in Zarzis. “And they are buried here.”
“Every boat here has saved people,” said Chamseddine Bourassine, president of the Zarzis fishermen’s association, as he took a seat on his ship anchored in the city’s port while his crew prepared for a five-day fishing trip. “The rescues are nothing new.”
“He saved a woman who was pregnant and she gave birth to the child, a little girl when she was pulled onboard,” Marzoug said of Bourassine.
The fishermen were increasingly tasked with saving lives after the number of boats leaving Libya swelled in 2014. As lawlessness in the country allowed people smugglers to flourish, Libya became the main launching point for migration to Europe. For fishermen, time is money and aborting fishing trips to bring migrants to safety has taken an economic toll. In 2016, Bourassine dropped all his nets – expensive and vital to his livelihood – into the sea, taking a total loss in order to save a boat of migrants from drowning. But he, like many others, said they do it without hesitation or regret.
“We are all humanitarians,” Bourassine said.
Beyond the financial sacrifices, rescuing sinking vessels can entail great risk for the fishermen’s own safety. For years, they did what they could with the supplies they had and without formal training. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) conducted training courses with fishermen in 2015 and 2016 to improve their ability to make successful rescues. Fishermen were guided through the steps of a rescue operation and also shown how to properly care for deceased bodies to prevent health risks and respect the dead. Their boats were fitted with professional life-saving equipment, which they say has improved their ability to rescue more people.
Today, the fishermen face new challenges. Fishermen often see boats in distress in Libyan waters, he said, but it’s dangerous for the fishermen and they can’t get to them. The maritime borders between Tunisia and Libya have been loosely enforced amid a security vacuum in Libya following the 2011 revolution. Scores of fishermen have been detained and accused of straying into Libyan waters. Securing their release often involves expensive ransoms and lengthy negotiations. Now, aid workers fear threats toward the fishermen could be compounded by a newly emboldened Libyan coast guard.
In the southern coastal town of Zarzis, near the border with Libya, fishermen have been rescuing migrants fleeing poverty, violence, and persecution in search of a better life in Europe for more than 30 years. Zarzis is located just 80km from the Libyan border, and the flimsy boats used to smuggle migrants regularly stray into Tunisian waters. Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers, many from the West African nations of Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea, have been rescued by fishermen in the area each year.
Chamseddine Marzoug, a fisherman, cannot forget. “In the corner over there, there is a man without a head,” said Marzoug, pointing to a heap where he buried one of the hundreds of unnamed people found dead at sea. “We found him in the sea without a head.” “What makes me feel sick is that their families believe that their daughter, their son, is in Europe alive and they are waiting for a call or a letter,” Marzoug said of the unmarked graves in Zarzis. “And they are buried here.”
“Every boat here has saved people,” said Chamseddine Bourassine, president of the Zarzis fishermen’s association, as he took a seat on his ship anchored in the city’s port while his crew prepared for a five-day fishing trip. “The rescues are nothing new.”
“He saved a woman who was pregnant and she gave birth to the child, a little girl when she was pulled onboard,” Marzoug said of Bourassine.
The fishermen were increasingly tasked with saving lives after the number of boats leaving Libya swelled in 2014. As lawlessness in the country allowed people smugglers to flourish, Libya became the main launching point for migration to Europe. For fishermen, time is money and aborting fishing trips to bring migrants to safety has taken an economic toll. In 2016, Bourassine dropped all his nets – expensive and vital to his livelihood – into the sea, taking a total loss in order to save a boat of migrants from drowning. But he, like many others, said they do it without hesitation or regret.
“We are all humanitarians,” Bourassine said.
Beyond the financial sacrifices, rescuing sinking vessels can entail great risk for the fishermen’s own safety. For years, they did what they could with the supplies they had and without formal training. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) conducted training courses with fishermen in 2015 and 2016 to improve their ability to make successful rescues. Fishermen were guided through the steps of a rescue operation and also shown how to properly care for deceased bodies to prevent health risks and respect the dead. Their boats were fitted with professional life-saving equipment, which they say has improved their ability to rescue more people.
Today, the fishermen face new challenges. Fishermen often see boats in distress in Libyan waters, he said, but it’s dangerous for the fishermen and they can’t get to them. The maritime borders between Tunisia and Libya have been loosely enforced amid a security vacuum in Libya following the 2011 revolution. Scores of fishermen have been detained and accused of straying into Libyan waters. Securing their release often involves expensive ransoms and lengthy negotiations. Now, aid workers fear threats toward the fishermen could be compounded by a newly emboldened Libyan coast guard.
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