The very small island off Italy had 21 landings in 24 hours on Monday and 19 during the night to today. During the day, the boats have continued to arrive. In the migrant center, which has room for just under 400 people, there were 2,698 migrants on Tuesday and more and more are coming all the time.
– We try to ensure that people have food and water, the most fundamental. And it’s not easy because we don’t have our own potable fresh water here on the island, says Francesca Tombino.
Full behind bars
The migrants arrive in small boats and are picked up by the Italian coast guard and brought ashore. They are then bussed directly to the center which is heavily guarded by the police and military. When SVT visits the camp, it is full behind the bars, with people everywhere. Mostly young men but also some women and some children.
– We see a sharp increase in people from countries south of the Sahara, says Francesca Tombino.
During yesterday, four people drowned and around 20 are missing, while reports from Libya and Tunisia say that over 60 bodies were found on the beaches yesterday and today.
Military aircraft are deployed
A carabinieri policeman SVT spoke to says that the migrants paid 6,000 euros per person, i.e. 68,000 kroner for the crossing.
The Italian government has declared a state of emergency and demands joint crisis preparedness from the EU. Military planes and boats are deployed to take the migrants to other places, on the mainland.
– It must be fully discussed now, it is time to act united within the EU. It cannot be people smugglers who decide who is allowed to come to Europe, says Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the Italian media.
According to the Italian intelligence service, more than 900,000 people are waiting in Tunisia and Libya to cross the sea. According to the latest information given to the Meloni government, the Russian Wagner group is involved in driving the popular flows, as part of destabilizing Europe. The Italian government wants to see 16 years in prison for anyone who smuggles people and 30 years in prison if people die during the crossings.
