Atleast 29 migrants have died after two boats sank off Tunisia’s coast within hours of each other officials say.
The sub-Saharan migrants were trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy.
This comes after Tunisia launched a campaign against undocumented African migrants.
Meanwhile, Italian officials on the island of Lampedusa say they are overwhelmed, after a record 2,500 migrants arrived in the last 24 hours.
The Italian far-right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has warned Europe risks seeing a huge wave of refugees arriving on its shores.
In a controversial speech last month, Tunisia’s president accused sub-Saharan African migrants living in the country of causing a crime wave and described them as a demographic threat.
Kais Saied’s comments were widely criticised by the African Union and denounced as “racist hate speech” by human rights groups.
Tunisia’s economy is in a poor state, and is facing crisis after negotiations with the the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stalled.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also warned that Tunisia urgently needs to reach a bailout deal with the IMF.
BBC