New wave of migration from Africa: Italy in a state of emergency

Because of the record number of refugees from North Africa, Rome declared a state of emergency: There are also domestic reasons for this.

On Wednesday, 800 people sat crowded together on two fishing boats in the Mediterranean, hoping for rescue – and a transfer to Italy. Over the Easter weekend alone, more than 2,000 people who had fled from North Africa across the Mediterranean were taken to the small Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Other refugees were not lucky. They did not survive the dangerous crossing: several dozen have drowned in the past few days, most recently a ship capsized off Tunisia on Wednesday.

It’s only the beginning of the weather-related high flight season – and Italy is already seeing more migrant arrivals than it has in years. Lampedusa, which is only 185 kilometers from Tunisia, has already reached the limit of its reception capacity: more than 1,800 refugees are in the refugee center on the small island, which is designed for a maximum of 400 people. “There are many women with small children and unaccompanied minors,” said the head of the hot spot, Lorena Tortorici, the TV channel TG24. “We are in an emergency situation.”