From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue May 12 2009 - 08:04:07 EDT
from the May 10, 2009 edition -
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0511/p10s01-woeu.html
Italy to stem a human tide of immigrants The Italian Navy this week will
begin turning back Africans who have transformed Lampedusa, Italy, into the
site of a humanitarian crisis. By Nick Squires | Correspondent of The
Christian Science Monitor
Island of Lampedusa, Italy
Hidden amid the hedges and stone walls of this sun-baked holiday island is
the final resting place for dozens of boats that have brought thousands of
illegal immigrants from North Africa in search of a new life in Europe.
Their chipped hulls bear Arabic script and crude drawings of swordfish and
dolphins. Scraps of clothing and water bottles litter their grimy decks.
Now Italy is set to launch a campaign to stanch the flow of boats bound for
Lampedusa, the country's southernmost scrap of territory, a tiny island that
lies closer to Tunisia than it does to Sicily.
Starting May 15, the Italian Navy will work with its Libyan counterpart to
intercept and turn back rickety boats packed with desperate Africans.
Italy's interior minister, Roberto Maroni, has confidently predicted that
"on that day I expect the flow of people entering Italy from Libya to stop
and the problem to be resolved."
But with just six motor boats to patrol Libya's lengthy coastline, many
Italians doubt the patrols will make much of a difference, especially
considering the risks people are willing to take, says Laura Boldrini,
spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy.
"People are prepared to make the crossing in all weather conditions, at any
cost," she says.
Lampedusa's 6,000 residents, who make their living from fishing and tourism,
feel embattled by the unending human tide that washes up – in dramatically
increasing rates – on their rocky shores. Last year, around 33,000 illegal
immigrants reached the 10-mile-long island, a 75 percent rise from 2007.
The acute dangers involved in the crossing were underlined in March when a
boat carrying more than 250 people capsized in a storm after setting off
from Libya. Only 23 survived. The bodies of another 21 *clandestini*, as the
Italians call them, were recovered by Libyan authorities. The rest were
missing – presumed drowned – in a part of the Mediterranean that the Council
of Europe describes as a "death trap at the borders of Europe."
Islanders worry that the global economic crisis will force millions more
Africans to seek work in Europe. The International Organization for
Migration estimates 1 million migrants in Libya are waiting for the chance
to cross.
"Of course, there will be more people trying to make their way here," says
Fabio Giardina, a marine biologist who works on Lampedusa. "We are just a
small island, but this is a human flood."
The waters around Lampedusa are rich with marine life and support a large
fishing fleet. But they have become notorious for a gruesome human harvest –
drowned migrants are routinely pulled up in fishermen's nets. Some 13,000
illegal immigrants are believed to have lost their lives on the crossing in
the past decade.
Migrants who survive the passage are interned in a detention center on
Lampedusa until they are either granted asylum in Italy or deported.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wants to extend the period of detention for
asylum-seekers from 60 days to six months and plans to convert an old
American military base into a second detention center – a move that the
island's mayor, Sergio De Rubeis, fears will turn Lampedusa into "the
Alcatraz of the Mediterranean."
"We are living in a constant state of emergency," he says. "Even so, we
believe that these people need to be helped."
The crisis has turned Lampedusa into a surreal combination of holiday
destination – pristine beaches, pastel-hued pizzerias – and a military
garrison. More than 500 paramilitary police, coast guardsmen, and soldiers
are deployed to the island and can be seen drinking in cafes and playing
soccer on the beaches. They run the existing detention center, which remains
almost hidden – and is closed to journalists – in a narrow gorge just
outside Lampedusa town.
The center was designed to hold 800 people. Earlier this year, it was
housing 1,800, with some sleeping under plastic sheets. In February, a group
of Tunisian migrants tried to break out, setting fire to a building and
clashing with security forces. More than 60 were injured.
"This is an island for tourists; we are not equipped to deal with a
humanitarian crisis," says Claudia Monti, a boutique owner. "There's been so
much negative publicity about the immigrants that we worry whether the
tourists will come."
Some fear breakouts and riots on a larger, more dangerous scale. "Lampedusa
is Europe's frontier and a place of transit – a bridge between the two
shores of the Mediterranean," said the island's priest, the Rev. Stefano
Nastasi. "We are not insensitive to the suffering ... but we also don't want
to be forgotten."
While some migrants earn a precarious living selling fake designer goods on
the streets of Rome or working in the factories of Naples and Milan, many
others push north, heading for France, Germany, and Britain. No matter how
cold the welcome they receive, a new life in Europe is almost always better
than the danger and poverty left behind in war-torn countries like Somalia,
Sudan, and Chad.
Isaias, an Eritrean, fled his country six years ago and saved enough money
to pay smugglers to take him from Libya to Lampedusa. He survived the
crossing and eventually was granted a residency permit in Italy. He has
since returned to Lampedusa and works in one of the hotels. But even now he
struggles to talk about his ordeal.
"It was horrible. I lost many friends on the way," he said. "I don't like to
talk about it. I just want to get on with this new life and forget all those
bad memories." Hidden amid the hedges and stone walls of this sun-baked
holiday island is the final resting place for dozens of boats that have
brought thousands of illegal immigrants from North Africa in search of a new
life in Europe.
Their chipped hulls bear Arabic script and crude drawings of swordfish and
dolphins. Scraps of clothing and water bottles litter their grimy decks.
Now Italy is set to launch a campaign to stanch the flow of boats bound for
Lampedusa, the country's southernmost scrap of territory, a tiny island that
lies closer to Tunisia than it does to Sicily.
Starting May 15, the Italian Navy will work with its Libyan counterpart to
intercept and turn back rickety boats packed with desperate Africans.
Italy's interior minister, Roberto Maroni, has confidently predicted that
"on that day I expect the flow of people entering Italy from Libya to stop
and the problem to be resolved."
But with just six motor boats to patrol Libya's lengthy coastline, many
Italians doubt the patrols will make much of a difference, especially
considering the risks people are willing to take, says Laura Boldrini,
spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy.
"People are prepared to make the crossing in all weather conditions, at any
cost," she says.
Lampedusa's 6,000 residents, who make their living from fishing and tourism,
feel embattled by the unending human tide that washes up – in dramatically
increasing rates – on their rocky shores. Last year, around 33,000 illegal
immigrants reached the 10-mile-long island, a 75 percent rise from 2007.
The acute dangers involved in the crossing were underlined in March when a
boat carrying more than 250 people capsized in a storm after setting off
from Libya. Only 23 survived. The bodies of another 21 *clandestini*, as the
Italians call them, were recovered by Libyan authorities. The rest were
missing – presumed drowned – in a part of the Mediterranean that the Council
of Europe describes as a "death trap at the borders of Europe."
Islanders worry that the global economic crisis will force millions more
Africans to seek work in Europe. The International Organization for
Migration estimates 1 million migrants in Libya are waiting for the chance
to cross.
"Of course, there will be more people trying to make their way here," says
Fabio Giardina, a marine biologist who works on Lampedusa. "We are just a
small island, but this is a human flood."
The waters around Lampedusa are rich with marine life and support a large
fishing fleet. But they have become notorious for a gruesome human harvest –
drowned migrants are routinely pulled up in fishermen's nets. Some 13,000
illegal immigrants are believed to have lost their lives on the crossing in
the past decade.
Migrants who survive the passage are interned in a detention center on
Lampedusa until they are either granted asylum in Italy or deported.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wants to extend the period of detention for
asylum-seekers from 60 days to six months and plans to convert an old
American military base into a second detention center – a move that the
island's mayor, Sergio De Rubeis, fears will turn Lampedusa into "the
Alcatraz of the Mediterranean."
"We are living in a constant state of emergency," he says. "Even so, we
believe that these people need to be helped."
The crisis has turned Lampedusa into a surreal combination of holiday
destination – pristine beaches, pastel-hued pizzerias – and a military
garrison. More than 500 paramilitary police, coast guardsmen, and soldiers
are deployed to the island and can be seen drinking in cafes and playing
soccer on the beaches. They run the existing detention center, which remains
almost hidden – and is closed to journalists – in a narrow gorge just
outside Lampedusa town.
The center was designed to hold 800 people. Earlier this year, it was
housing 1,800, with some sleeping under plastic sheets. In February, a group
of Tunisian migrants tried to break out, setting fire to a building and
clashing with security forces. More than 60 were injured.
"This is an island for tourists; we are not equipped to deal with a
humanitarian crisis," says Claudia Monti, a boutique owner. "There's been so
much negative publicity about the immigrants that we worry whether the
tourists will come."
Some fear breakouts and riots on a larger, more dangerous scale. "Lampedusa
is Europe's frontier and a place of transit – a bridge between the two
shores of the Mediterranean," said the island's priest, the Rev. Stefano
Nastasi. "We are not insensitive to the suffering ... but we also don't want
to be forgotten."
While some migrants earn a precarious living selling fake designer goods on
the streets of Rome or working in the factories of Naples and Milan, many
others push north, heading for France, Germany, and Britain. No matter how
cold the welcome they receive, a new life in Europe is almost always better
than the danger and poverty left behind in war-torn countries like Somalia,
Sudan, and Chad.
Isaias, an Eritrean, fled his country six years ago and saved enough money
to pay smugglers to take him from Libya to Lampedusa. He survived the
crossing and eventually was granted a residency permit in Italy. He has
since returned to Lampedusa and works in one of the hotels. But even now he
struggles to talk about his ordeal.
"It was horrible. I lost many friends on the way," he said. "I don't like to
talk about it. I just want to get on with this new life and forget all those
bad memories." Hidden amid the hedges and stone walls of this sun-baked
holiday island is the final resting place for dozens of boats that have
brought thousands of illegal immigrants from North Africa in search of a new
life in Europe.
Their chipped hulls bear Arabic script and crude drawings of swordfish and
dolphins. Scraps of clothing and water bottles litter their grimy decks.
Now Italy is set to launch a campaign to stanch the flow of boats bound for
Lampedusa, the country's southernmost scrap of territory, a tiny island that
lies closer to Tunisia than it does to Sicily.
Starting May 15, the Italian Navy will work with its Libyan counterpart to
intercept and turn back rickety boats packed with desperate Africans.
Italy's interior minister, Roberto Maroni, has confidently predicted that
"on that day I expect the flow of people entering Italy from Libya to stop
and the problem to be resolved."
But with just six motor boats to patrol Libya's lengthy coastline, many
Italians doubt the patrols will make much of a difference, especially
considering the risks people are willing to take, says Laura Boldrini,
spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy.
"People are prepared to make the crossing in all weather conditions, at any
cost," she says.
Lampedusa's 6,000 residents, who make their living from fishing and tourism,
feel embattled by the unending human tide that washes up – in dramatically
increasing rates – on their rocky shores. Last year, around 33,000 illegal
immigrants reached the 10-mile-long island, a 75 percent rise from 2007.
The acute dangers involved in the crossing were underlined in March when a
boat carrying more than 250 people capsized in a storm after setting off
from Libya. Only 23 survived. The bodies of another 21 *clandestini*, as the
Italians call them, were recovered by Libyan authorities. The rest were
missing – presumed drowned – in a part of the Mediterranean that the Council
of Europe describes as a "death trap at the borders of Europe."
Islanders worry that the global economic crisis will force millions more
Africans to seek work in Europe. The International Organization for
Migration estimates 1 million migrants in Libya are waiting for the chance
to cross.
"Of course, there will be more people trying to make their way here," says
Fabio Giardina, a marine biologist who works on Lampedusa. "We are just a
small island, but this is a human flood."
The waters around Lampedusa are rich with marine life and support a large
fishing fleet. But they have become notorious for a gruesome human harvest –
drowned migrants are routinely pulled up in fishermen's nets. Some 13,000
illegal immigrants are believed to have lost their lives on the crossing in
the past decade.
Migrants who survive the passage are interned in a detention center on
Lampedusa until they are either granted asylum in Italy or deported.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wants to extend the period of detention for
asylum-seekers from 60 days to six months and plans to convert an old
American military base into a second detention center – a move that the
island's mayor, Sergio De Rubeis, fears will turn Lampedusa into "the
Alcatraz of the Mediterranean."
"We are living in a constant state of emergency," he says. "Even so, we
believe that these people need to be helped."
The crisis has turned Lampedusa into a surreal combination of holiday
destination – pristine beaches, pastel-hued pizzerias – and a military
garrison. More than 500 paramilitary police, coast guardsmen, and soldiers
are deployed to the island and can be seen drinking in cafes and playing
soccer on the beaches. They run the existing detention center, which remains
almost hidden – and is closed to journalists – in a narrow gorge just
outside Lampedusa town.
The center was designed to hold 800 people. Earlier this year, it was
housing 1,800, with some sleeping under plastic sheets. In February, a group
of Tunisian migrants tried to break out, setting fire to a building and
clashing with security forces. More than 60 were injured.
"This is an island for tourists; we are not equipped to deal with a
humanitarian crisis," says Claudia Monti, a boutique owner. "There's been so
much negative publicity about the immigrants that we worry whether the
tourists will come."
Some fear breakouts and riots on a larger, more dangerous scale. "Lampedusa
is Europe's frontier and a place of transit – a bridge between the two
shores of the Mediterranean," said the island's priest, the Rev. Stefano
Nastasi. "We are not insensitive to the suffering ... but we also don't want
to be forgotten."
While some migrants earn a precarious living selling fake designer goods on
the streets of Rome or working in the factories of Naples and Milan, many
others push north, heading for France, Germany, and Britain. No matter how
cold the welcome they receive, a new life in Europe is almost always better
than the danger and poverty left behind in war-torn countries like Somalia,
Sudan, and Chad.
Isaias, an Eritrean, fled his country six years ago and saved enough money
to pay smugglers to take him from Libya to Lampedusa. He survived the
crossing and eventually was granted a residency permit in Italy. He has
since returned to Lampedusa and works in one of the hotels. But even now he
struggles to talk about his ordeal.
"It was horrible. I lost many friends on the way," he said. "I don't like to
talk about it. I just want to get on with this new life and forget all those
bad memories."
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