Sabee al-Saidi’s TikTok video has more than three million views. The images can also be seen on her Instagram account, followed by photos taken after her arrival in Italy, where she poses in Rome. The same goes for Chaime Ben Mahmoude who captured the boat trip with her fiancé and then snapped shots at the Eiffel Tower.
Aid organizations fear that Al-Saidi and Ben Mahmoude’s posts will encourage Tunisian young people to board a rickety boat to Europe. In any case, that flight is becoming increasingly popular in the country that has been in the grip of an economic crisis for years. The youth see no future in Tunisia, where democratic reforms are rapidly being wiped out by President Saied.
Exploitation
Neighboring Libya is an important departure point for refugees and illegal migrants to Europe. In that country they are exploited by people smugglers, while in Tunisia the fortune seekers increasingly organize their own journey. They arrange a boat with friends or neighbors and embark on the perilous journey of several hundred kilometres.
More than 67,000 illegal migrants arrived in Italy alone last year, a doubling from the previous year. In total, about 115,000 people arrived in Europe by boat in 2021, according to figures from the United Nations. About 2,500 people died or went missing. The Tunisian coastguard stopped more than 23,000 people from attempting the crossing, a significant increase from two years ago, when there were only 5,000.
‘No future in Tunisia’
Influencer Ben Mahmoude tells in an interview with the AP news agency that she no longer saw a future for herself in Tunisia. „I have a hairdressing diploma, but I can’t find a job. And when I did, my monthly salary was hopeless.” In the end she paid just under 1500 euros for the crossing, which, despite the photos, was a terrible experience.” I was so scared. I looked death in the eye.”