Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tunisia: Italy to give €100m to stem flow of migrants

Michael Day
Tuesday 15 February 2011 20:00 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Italian government will give Tunisia €100m (£84m) to help to stem the tide of migrants fleeing political turmoil in the North African nation and arriving on the tiny Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.

Thousands of Tunisians have tried to reach European shores in the aftermath of huge protests that toppled President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali last month. The government is moving to stabilise Tunisia ahead of promised elections, but sporadic unrest continues and authorities yesterday extended a state of emergency.

Tunisia's state news agency announced the agreement that will see Italy provide Tunisia with the money and "a network of radars and fast boats". The EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom, ordered the group's border agency, Frontex, to send a task force of up to 50 personnel, vessels and a couple of aircraft to provide further assistance.

Lampedusa, which is south of Sicily and has a population of 6,000, has been unable to cope with waves of immigrants, who pay up to €1,500 to be carried across the Mediterranean. Roberto Maroni, the Interior Minister and a member of the anti- immigration Northern League party, has described the arrival of more than 5,000 Tunisians in the past four weeks as a "biblical exodus". The Defence Minister, Ignazio La Russa, has approved the use of 200 soldiers to help to push back refugees.

Yesterday, there appeared to be rising anger in Lampedusa. The island's mayor, Bernardino De Rubeis, temporarily banned the sale of alcohol in bars or supermarkets. La Stampa quoted the chief Carabinieri officer on the island as saying "it would only take one half-drunk person and we'd risk civil war". The immigration detention centre is already full three times over.

Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty International's Europe programme director, called on the Italian government to respect the arrivals' right of access to "fair, satisfactory asylum procedures and for them to be informed of their rights".

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in