The situation is once again very tense on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where nearly 7,000 migrants were massed this Wednesday. A situation almost out of control.
The “hot spot” of Lampedusa is planned to accommodate 600 people, but on Wednesday September 13, nearly 7,000 exiles were massed on the Italian island, off the coast of Tunisia. They were then more numerous than the inhabitants and the situation was therefore extremely tense.
Around 2,000 people could be evacuated on Thursday to other points in Italy, and as many on Friday. ButEven if the associations and the police are now used to managing these peaks of arrival, the police came to the point on Wednesday to charge to contain the masses of people who were accumulating and asking for something to eat and drink. A five-month-old girl drowned just before disembarking, and a young mother gave birth to a baby while disembarking.
Arrivals organized when the weather is calm
The calm weather and the forecasts for September suggest that this could continue. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, dozens and dozens of landings took place. The Italian government highlights the fact that fairly large boats, approaching the island, disembarked migrants in canoes to finish their journey, which suggests very organized trips.
>> More than 25,000 migrants have died or gone missing in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea since 2014
Among the countries of departure: Tunisia, even though in July, Giorgia Meloni but also Ursula Von der Leyen traveled to Tunis to sign an agreement with the Tunisian president. The agreement provided for paying money against the control of departures: 150 million euros initially. A sum which has not yet been fully paid to Tunisia. “It is in progress,” explains the European Commission.
The failure of Georgia Meloni’s migration policy
Over the past two months, more than 30,000 people have arrived from Tunisia to Italy. This is 60% more than the previous two months. This has political consequences in Italy. On Wednesday, Giorgia Meloni recalled, on television, that she wanted limit departures. This is a blatant failure.
In ten days, it will be the first anniversary of her election and, on this theme of immigration, she has not kept her promises. We have approximately twice as many arrivals as last year at the same time.