Nearly seven thousand, a total of 6,762 migrants, have arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in the past 24 hours, while several boats are still waiting to finally reach shore – according to reports, among others, EURACTIV.
In Italy, the number of migrants trying their luck across the Mediterranean Sea in the hope of a better life has increased, which, according to the newspaper, causes a major problem for the already overburdened island, while thousands are waiting to be transferred to overburdened areas. Reception centres, which have an official capacity of only 400 people.
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Gallery: Chaos in Italy: Nearly seven thousand people arrived, and a five-month-old baby diedPhotography: Yara Nardi/Reuters
Clashes broke out between migrants and Italian police on Wednesday.
The clashes occurred due to the migrants’ demands to be allowed to enter the island from the pier, which the Italian police intervened to avoid escalation.
In addition, the chaos was compounded by a tragedy, where a baby who was only five months old drowned in the water.
Before the Italian Coast Guard began the rescue operation. According to newspaper information, psychological assistance was provided to the Guinean mother.
The situation has become critical in Lampedusa, Italy, after 8,000 migrants arrived on the island by boat in just 48 hours.
As more boats set off today, the Italian government is considering imposing a naval blockade.
– Visegrad 24 (@Visegrad24) September 14, 2023
District Attorney Giovanni Di Leo, on the subject mentionedA total of 112 barges attempted to land on Tuesday, nearly double the all-time high, which was 62 the previous month.
The mayor of Lampedusa, Filippo Mannino, said of the current incident that everyone is already physically and mentally tired, and that the situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable and uncontrollable.
They mostly try from Tunisia
In addition, the number of people coming from Tunisia is increasing due to the continuing deterioration of the country’s economic and social prospects.
the To the Guardian Flavio Di Giacomo, spokesman for the United Nations International Organization for Migration, said this is the first time since the crisis that the migration route in Tunisia has become so dense, that they are trying to leave in small boats in the hope of a better life.
In addition, according to the spokesman, rescue on this route is much more difficult than when they start from Libya, because they try to cross the Mediterranean Sea in much smaller boats.
The British newspaper states that migrants who arrive in Lampedusa are usually transferred to Sicily to prevent overcrowding, but when a large number of boats arrive in a short time, they cannot solve the transfer process so quickly.
According to the ANSA news agency, 1,650 people out of about 7,000 were transferred to the Italian mainland on Wednesday, and another 3,750 will be transferred on Thursday.
Giorgia Meloni: Migration cannot be solved, it must be stopped
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also commented on the issue. In his statement to RAI 1, he said that a very small number of people had been transferred from Italy to another country months ago, but this was a secondary matter, he said.
The question is not how to solve the problem, but how to prevent people from coming to Italy, and I still do not see a definitive answer
The politician, who organized a conference with the participation of African countries in Rome last July, said that he wants to reduce illegal immigration through support provided to countries of origin, while in addition to taking measures against human smugglers, he will increase the volume of illegal immigration. . Number of immigrants arriving legally on work visas to Italy.
Both the European Union and the United Nations are waiting to reach a common solution
Roberta Mitsola, President of the Maltese European Parliament, also spoke about the incident. He explained in a press conference that the immigration problem cannot be solved within national jurisdictions, but can only be solved at the European Union level.
For this reason, the President of the European Parliament called on member states to support the new EU migration pact, which is currently opposed by many member states.
Among other things, the agreement will distribute people arriving illegally between member states, which, on the other hand, do not want to accept migrants and must contribute money to a common solution.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, argued in favor of accepting the agreement in her annual review speech on Tuesday, saying it was within member states’ reach to accept it.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said the same thing. On Wednesday, Guterres answered journalists’ questions, stating that migration represents a problem not only for the receiving country, but for the European Union and the entire continent. Therefore, he sees immigration as a one-sided solution only:
In this regard, effective mechanisms for solidarity and burden-sharing must be in place.
Nearly twice as many people are arriving this year than last year
According to the latest data published by the Italian Ministry of the Interior, 123,860 people have arrived illegally in Italy since the beginning of the year, which is nearly double the number in this period last year.
According to The Guardian, based on current trends, the number of migrants could exceed the all-time high in 2016, when a total of 181,500 arrived in Italy.
(Cover photo: Yara Nardi/Reuters)
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