An Italian Coast Guard official said that 2022 saw the arrival of 53,000 illegal immigrants via the Mediterranean from Libya, an increase of 70%. 

Admiral Giuseppe Aulicino added that most of the immigrants set off from the western region of Libya.

In a joint hearing of the Constitutional Affairs and Transport Committees Admiral Aulicino said that NGO ships operating on the Cyrenaica-Lampedusa line had rescued more than 11,000 people, 34% of whom departed from western Libya.

He indicated that 105,000 immigrants overall arrived by sea in 2022, an increase of 56% compared to the previous year, adding that 1,401 of them set off from Algeria and 32,000 from Tunisia, which was an increase of 60%.

According to the Italian official, 33,000 migrants departed from Libya's Tripolitania region, and 20,000 departed from Cyrenaica.

Tunisia announced on Wednesday that President Kais Saied met with the Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. They discussed the issue of illegal immigration, emphasizing the common conviction of the two countries regarding the need to adopt a comprehensive approach that addresses its root causes and provides mechanisms to deal with it.