2023-04-27 08:30:00
Four times more people have reached the Italian coasts this year than in 2022. Dozens of people have died in the last few days.
The number of migrants who arrived in Italy in 2023 has reached the threshold of 40,000, four times more than in the same period in 2022. 130,000 people are accommodated in Italian reception facilities, which are under great pressure, according to the Interior Ministry in Rome. The Italian government is looking for solutions to prevent the flow of migrants from spiraling out of control.
Scenarios that assume up to 400,000 arrivals by the end of 2023 are worrying for the government in Rome. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Commissioner for Immigration Valerio Valenti meet the presidents of five regions on Thursday to find solutions for migrant housing. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government wants to set up a deportation center for undocumented migrants in each region. According to media reports in Rome, the cabinet wants to speed up the repatriation of foreigners without residence permits.
Meloni wants money to stabilize Tunisia
At the same time, the Meloni government wants to make available 100 million euros for the economic stabilization of Tunisia. “We insist that a first tranche of funding be granted to support reforms and that gradually, as they are implemented, more funds can be made available. Let’s see if the International Monetary Fund and the EU work with us,” said the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani according to media reports.
The Geo Barents, the search and rescue ship of the aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF), arrived in the port of Naples on Thursday with 75 migrants on board. The migrants were rescued by a boat floating in the waters off Libya.
Meanwhile, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, has arrived in Tunisia. The visit is reportedly linked to the crisis the country is experiencing and the surge in migration.
Bodies of two women found
At the moment, many people seeking protection are once once more daring to make the dangerous crossing to Europe in often unseaworthy boats. Again and once more people die in the Mediterranean Sea. Dozens of people have also drowned in Tunisia in recent days. Local media reported that a mortuary in the coastal town of Sfax was completely overcrowded following several boat accidents.
The bodies of two women were recovered by a Coast Guard patrol boat in Italian waters on Wednesday. At least 55 people have drowned off the coast of Libya, according to the United Nations. A boat with 60 women, men and children on board was shipwrecked on Tuesday, the Libyan Coast Guard rescued five people, the UN Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday. The boat left the east of the capital Tripoli and was on its way to Europe.
France is preparing to close the border with Italy
Meanwhile, France is preparing to seal off the border with Italy. Starting next week, 150 additional officers will be deployed at the border to deter illegal immigrants. The government is also planning a new border security unit, which will include police, customs and the army. This will be operational within six months. Paris also wants to seal off the Alpine passes used by people smugglers to bring migrants from Italy to France.
(APA/dpa)
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