Recently arrived migrants wait at the port of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy Photo: REUTERS/Tony Colapinto
A reception center that processes migrants on a tiny The Italian island of Lampedusa was overcrowded over the weekend: ten times as many as expected.
More than 4,000 migrants were crammed into the island's reception center, which has an official capacity of just 400, as favorable weather encourages many residents of the North Africa to travel.
By Monday, that number had dropped to 3,500 as hundreds of people were transported by plane or ferry to larger centers. in Sicily or on the Italian mainland.
The mayor of Lampedusa called on Prime Minister Georgia Meloni to come to the island to see the extent of the crisis with his own eyes. He said the government's decision to declare a state of emergency on migration a few months ago did not solve the problem.
Approximately 400 migrants on a boat off the island of Lampedusa Photo: CONCETTA RIZZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The state of emergency has not brought concrete results for Lampedusa,” said Filippo Mannino. «None of the problems we've been complaining about for years has been resolved.»
Despite strong rhetoric about unauthorized migration and promises to stop the arrival of boats from North Africa, Meloni's government found itself as powerless as previous administrations to stem the flow of desperate asylum seekers risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean.
< p> The unhindered arrival of so many migrants and refugees quickly becomes «a real disaster for the government.» one newspaper commented on this on Monday.
Italy urgently needs more help from the EU to cope with the situation as the number of migrants who arrived this year exceeded 107,000, the ministers said.
“The international situation is getting worse, forcing people to leave Africa and leave Africa . look for a place in Europe through the Balkan and Mediterranean routes,» Antonio Tajani, Italy's foreign minister, said on Sunday.
“We need action from the EU. See what's happening in Tunisia, where thousands of people are being stopped, but more are coming. A European strategy is needed across the African continent as there is a risk that more and more migrants will move from south to north,” he said.
The situation is no longer sustainable and Brussels must step forward . increase its aid, said business minister Adolfo Urso, who visited the island over the weekend.
«Italy cannot be left alone,» he said, echoing the call made by successive governments in Rome over the years .
“In the face of this extraordinary phenomenon, Europe must intervene. The situation here is volatile and solutions must be found to reduce [the number of arrivals] on the one hand and further strengthen existing provisions [to manage them] on the other.”
The Italian Red Cross Center in Lampedusa is overloaded. Photo: Marcello Valeri/Avalon
Across Italy, mayors and regional governors are revolting over the large numbers of migrants they are ordered to take in, challenging Ms Meloni's coalition, which includes her far-right Brothers of Italy, the League and Forward Italy. center-right party founded by the late Silvio Berlusconi. Criticism of the government is not limited to center-left mayors and governors. Right-wing party officials are also unhappy with the number of asylum seekers they are tasked with taking care of.
The mayor of the northeastern city of Trieste said that about 8,000 migrants have arrived in the country since the beginning of the year. arrived on the so-called Balkan route, which starts in Turkey and leads through Greece and the Balkans.
Roberto Dipiazza, a member of Forza Italia, said the crisis is so acute that the abandoned military barracks may need to be used to accommodate all arrivals .
Hundreds of migrants, many of whom were Afghans and Pakistanis, slept on the streets of Trieste. “It's really bad. A state of emergency has been declared in the city,” he said.
Свежие комментарии