27,000 arrivals since January – Corriere.it

THE numbers they speak for themselves, the Viminale gave them yesterday: from 1 January to 27 March last year, 2022, 6,543 migrants landed in Italy. Now attention: this year, 2023, a similar number landed – 6,564 – but in the last five days, that is, from last Thursday until yesterday. And if instead we look at how many landings there were in total, this year, from January 1st to March 27th, the figure becomes impressive: 26,927 migrants. That is almost the quadruple from last year.

Calabria and Sicily risk being overwhelmed, warns Roberto Occhiuto, the governor of Calabria, who in the last four days has had to register as many as 1,500 arrivals in Roccella Ionica alone, the port of Locride which has become the new landing place chosen by Libyan traffickers . There is clearly a gangland attack going on, comments the Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Minister of Infrastructure and head of the Coast Guard, who two days ago accused the NGO ships of hindering rescue efforts. NGOs under attack? Italy under attack, not the NGOs, the leader of the League cuts short. The secretary of the Pd, Elly Schlein, lasts: On the issue of migrants Giorgia Meloni returned from Brussels with a handful of flies. The gloss of Carlo Calenda, of the Third pole, is also vitriolic: Salvini does less damage if he takes care of the bridge over the Strait.

However, the picture provided by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) is disturbing: Human traffickers in Tunisia are taking advantage of the situation in the country and have intensified their activities. Effectively dozens of small boats set sail every day from Sfax to Italy, 3,000 arrivals in 24 hours between Friday and Saturday alone. And among the departing migrants, on March 24 the Tunisian Coast Guard intercepted a man wanted for terrorism already sentenced to ten years. Yesterday the EU Commissioner for the Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, arrived in Tunis to meet Kais Saied. A complicated meeting: first abruptly canceled by the Tunisian president and then rescheduled in extremis thanks to the busy work of our diplomacy. Tunisia is asking the world for financial aid against the serious economic crisis: There are many common interests between the EU and Tunisia, we are ready to support but reforms are needed – said Gentiloni at the end -. Of course, Tunisia will not be left alone.

Meanwhile, the independent UN Commission of Inquiry for Libya denounces the EU in a report for supporting Libyan forces. The document specifically mentions the Tripoli Coast Guard. THE migrants trapped in Libya – according to the UN report – they are reduced to sexual slaves, a crime against humanity.

Finally, the Lampedusa hot spot remains collapsing: yesterday there were still 1,541 guests against 400 places available, after the ship Diciotti of the Coast Guard set sail with an initial load of 526 migrants transferred to Augusta and Catania. Today in Ortona, in Abruzzo, the ship of Emergency, Life support: 161 on board, including three pregnant women.