TUNIS, March 26, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Tunisian President Kais Saied has called on the International Organization for Migration to accelerate efforts in conducting voluntary returns for irregular migrants to their home countries.

In a statement posted on Facebook late Tuesday, the presidency said that "only 1,544 migrants have been repatriated" since the start of the year.

It said the figure "could have been much higher if greater efforts had been made to put a final end to this phenomenon".

Tunisia has in recent years become a key departure point in North Africa for migrants making the perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing in hopes of reaching Europe.

Each year, tens of thousands of mainly sub-Saharan African migrants attempt the crossing.

In some areas, Tunisia's coastline lies less than 150 kilometres (90 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa, often their first stop.

However, with mounting European Union efforts to curb migrant arrivals, many migrants find themselves stranded in Tunisia.

The IOM offers free flights to migrants volunteering for return and provides reintegration assistance in their home countries.

Tunisian authorities said 7,250 migrants had been repatriated through the programme last year.

So far this year, the IOM says 343 people have died or gone missing attempting the Mediterranean crossing. Last year, 2,476 migrants died or went missing.

Earlier this month, Tunisia's national guard rescued 612 migrants and recovered 18 bodies off the country's coast.

About 8,743 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, a slight increase over the same period last year, according to Italy's interior ministry.