Refugees trying to reach Italy die after boat sinks off coast of Tunisia

Latest tragedy comes as authorities in north African country crack down on undocumented sub-Saharan Africans

At least 19 people from sub-Saharan Africa have died while trying to reach Italy after the boat carrying them across the Mediterranean sank off the coast of Tunisia.

It is the latest disaster involving people departing from north African country, where the authorities have launched a brutal crackdown on undocumented sub-Saharan Africans. Last month, Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, made an incendiary, racist speech in which he claimed irregular migration from other parts of Africa was part of an international conspiracy to change Tunisia’s demographic character.