Lampedusa declares state of emergency as over 7,000 migrants arrive
Shafaq News/ The Italian authorities reported a state of emergency on the island of Lampedusa on Friday after more than 7,000 migrants arrived in the past 48 hours, surpassing the island's original population. Lampedusa, a small Italian island, has long been a destination for migrants seeking entry into the European Union.
Lampedusa's mayor, F
Shafaq News/ The Italian authorities reported a state of emergency on the island of Lampedusa on Friday after more than 7,000 migrants arrived in the past 48 hours, surpassing the island's original population. Lampedusa, a small Italian island, has long been a destination for migrants seeking entry into the European Union.
Lampedusa's mayor, F
ilippo Mannino, described the situation as reaching a "point of no return" and called for urgent European and Italian assistance to address the influx of migrants.The Italian government, currently led by the right-wing Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, has faced challenges in dealing with the situation. Salvini has described the arrival of migrants as an "act of war" and "the death of Europe."
Preliminary data indicates a more than three-fold increase in migrants arriving in the Spanish Canary Islands during the first two weeks of September. The Central Mediterranean route remains the most active route for migrants attempting to reach the European Union this year, with 114,300 detections reported by national authorities in the first eight months of 2023, the highest total on this route since 2016.
Lampedusa's migrant reception center has long struggled to accommodate arrivals, with reports of shortages in water, food, and medical care. The Italian Red Cross took charge of the center last June, but this week, it acknowledged difficulties in accommodating the influx, with over 7,000 people present.
The far-right Italian government recently allocated €45 million to Lampedusa to assist the island in managing the migrant situation.
