The continuing flow of migrants into Italy is leading to increasing tensions in the country, with a state of emergency being declared.
The senior public information associate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Italy, Federico Fossi, posits that the number of migrants is four times what it was over the same period in 2022. Some 30 895 migrants have entered Italy since the beginning of the year, compared to last year’s number which was 7 576 migrants.
Tunisia has overtaken Libya as the main country of departure for African migrants.
Migrants are reportedly travelling through the dangerous Mediterranean routes to the small island of Lampedusa where facilities are overcrowded. The Ministry for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies wishes to curb the flow of migrants.
The state of emergency was declared for six months, and it will enable the provision of funding of €5 million which, according to Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, will be used to build new structures where migrants can find shelter and where illegal migrants can be processed for repatriation.
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