Category Archives: News

by | 15 Mar 2011 · 05:59

Italy Blocks Ship from Libya with 1800 Persons from Entering Italian Waters

A large ferry, the Mistral Express, carrying approximately 1800 persons was prevented yesterday from entering Italian waters near Sicily by Italian navy or coast guard boats.   The ship apparently left the Libyan port of Misurata and most of its passengers are Moroccan.  The ship may have been planning to sail to Morocco and may have tried to divert to Italy for purposes of refueling, but the media reports are unclear.  It is also unclear who chartered the ship.  Italian authorities confirm that they prevented the ship from entering Italian waters due to uncertainty regarding the identities of the passengers.  An Italian government spokesperson reportedly said it was unclear whether the passengers were “genuine evacuees” from Libya.  It is also unclear whether the ship then tried to sail to Malta.  Some media reports say that Malta refused the ship permission to enter Maltese waters.  Maltese authorities are reported as saying that this did not occur but according to media reports Maltese authorities said that they would prevent the ship from landing in Malta if it tried to do so for the same reasons advanced by Italy.

Click here (EN), here (IT), here (IT), and here (ES) for articles.

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by | 09 Mar 2011 · 06:53

Migrants Being Prevented from Leaving Libya

According to several media reports, Libyan soldiers have prevented up to 30,000 migrant workers from fleeing Libya to Tunisia.  “The migrant workers were rounded up and apparently held in Libyan immigration buildings near the Tunisian border last week, Ibrahim Osman of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told The Associated Press.”  If this information is correct, it would explain the sudden drop in the numbers of persons trying to cross in to Tunisia in recent days.  According to IOM, as of 8 March, 224,661 migrants have reached Libya’s borders with Tunisia, Egypt, Niger and Algeria.

Click here and here for articles.  (EN)

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by | 08 Mar 2011 · 07:12

“Non-Stop” Boat Arrivals Continue in Lampedusa; Maroni Says Libyan Smuggling Organisations Now Operating From Tunisia

Boats containing over 1000 Tunisians arrived in Lampedusa on Monday.  The boats are reportedly leaving Tunisia from the southern coast from the port of Zarsis and the island of Djerba, an area near the border with Libya.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said on Monday that “we know that criminal organizations that operated by moving illegal immigrants from Libya have reappeared and are now repositioning themselves in the south of Tunisia.  (“Al ministro dell’Interno Roberto Maroni che parla di altre ‘migliaia e migliaia di persone pronte a partire’ e lancia un allarme: ‘abbiamo notizia – spiega – che sono riapparse le organizzazioni criminali che operavano prima in Libia facendo partire i clandestini e che adesso si stanno riposizionando nel sud della Tunisia’.)  Maroni said that “Italian intelligence had reported ‘thousands and thousands of young people’ heading for … Zarzis and Djerba, and that it would require a ‘significant commitment’ from EU countries to block their departure.”

Click here (IT), here (IT), here (IT), and here (EN) for articles.

 

 

 

Credit: Lampedusa, ancora sbarchi dalla Tunisia-FOTOGALLERY- LASTAMPA.it:

 

 

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by | 08 Mar 2011 · 06:29

Marine Le Pen to Visit Rome and Possibly Lampedusa, to Denounce Lack of EU Migration Controls

Taking full advantage of her rise in the French presidential opinion polls (recent opinion polls give her 23-24% of the vote in the first round of the 2012 presidential election, outpolling Sarkozy and DSK among others), Ms. Marine Le Pen, the head of France’s Front National, announced that she will travel to Rome next week and, if possible, she will also visit Lampedusa for the purpose of denouncing what she characterises as a lack of EU migratory controls.  (“Lors de son déplacement [en Italie], elle entend dénoncer «l’incapacité de l’Union européenne à juguler le déferlement migratoire qui frappe l’île de Lampedusa» après la révolution tunisienne. La candidate FN à l’Élysée envisage également de se rendre ultérieurement sur l’île de Lampedusa. «Si je peux me rendre à Lampedusa, j’irai, bien sûr», a-t-elle assuré.”)

Le Pen has referred to the Tunisians who have reached Italy in recent weeks as “the vanguard of a new massive wave of immigration.”  (“d’«éclaireurs d’une nouvelle vague migratoire gigantesque».”)  Her official web site contains an updated press release on the situation in Lampedusa: “Lampedusa : pendant que les clandestins sont accueillis, le maire est poursuivi !”

Click here (FR) for article.

Click here (FR) for link to Le Pen’s web site.

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by | 07 Mar 2011 · 06:50

Over 1000 New Migrants Reach Lampedusa

Migrant arrivals in Italy continue with over 1000 migrants reaching Lampedusa in at least 11 different boats on Sunday.

Click here (IT) and here (IT) for articles.

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by | 07 Mar 2011 · 06:37

Interactive Map: Deaths at Europe’s Borders

From OWNI.eu:  an interactive map showing the 14,000 persons who have died trying to reach Europe since 1988.  “[A]n interactive map as an electronic memorial for these tragedies.”

Click here for link.  The map copied below is not the new Interactive Map.  Click on link for the Interactive Map

Mourir aux portes de l’Europe (carte d’Olivier Clochard)

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by | 07 Mar 2011 · 06:09

Gaddafi: If Libya is Threatened, Thousands of Immigrants Will Invade Europe from Libya

The 6 March edition of Le Journal du Dimanche contains an exclusive interview with Gaddafi.  After calling upon France to block foreign intervention in Libya, Gaddafi states that all is well in Libya and warns of the consequences if his regime were to collapse:

“The regime here in Libya is fine.  It is stable. I want to make myself understood: if one threatens [Libya], if one seeks to destabilize [Libya], there will be chaos, Bin Laden, armed factions.  That is what will happen. You will have immigration, thousands of people will invade Europe from Libya. And there will no longer be anyone to stop them.  Bin Laden will base himself in North Africa and will leave Mullah Omar in Afghanistan and Pakistan. You will have Bin Laden at your door step.”

(“Le régime ici, en Libye, va bien. Il est stable. Je veux bien me faire comprendre: si on menace, si on déstabilise, on ira à la confusion, à Ben Laden, à des groupuscules armés. Voilà ce qui va arriver. Vous aurez l’immigration, des milliers de gens qui iront envahir l’Europe depuis la Libye. Et il n’y aura plus personne pour les arrêter. Ben Laden viendra s’installer en Afrique du Nord et laissera le mollah Omar en Afghanistan et au Pakistan. Vous aurez Ben Laden à vos portes.”)

Click here (FR) for full article from Le Journal du Dimanche.

Click here and here for related articles in JDD.

And I may as well add this link – click here – BHL (Bernard-Henri Lévy) is writing from eastern Libya as well…

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by | 04 Mar 2011 · 16:02

Agenda Items for 11 March Extraordinary Meeting of European Council

Discussion topics will include:

  • – measures to help overcome the dramatic events unfolding in Libya;
  • – mobilisation of further resources to meet the humanitarian situation created by the influx of returnees from Libya;
  • – challenges to the EU posed by irregular migration;
  • – the evacuation of EU citizens;
  • – support to the political transitions underway in Tunisia, Egypt and the broader region.

Click here for President Van Rompuy’s invitation letter.

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by | 04 Mar 2011 · 15:00

Sudden drop in numbers of people fleeing Libya into Tunisia – UNHCR concerned that people are being prevented from leaving Libya

From UNHCR:  “GENEVA, March 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Friday reported a sharp drop in the numbers of people crossing the border at Ras Adjir from Libya into Tunisia, and said it was increasingly worried at reports of people being impeded from fleeing.

As of mid-week, some 10,000-15,000 people were crossing the border daily, placing huge strains on the abilities of Tunisian authorities and humanitarian agencies to cope. But since Wednesday afternoon the numbers have fallen sharply. On Thursday, less than 2,000 people crossed.

‘The border on the Libyan side is now manned by heavily armed pro-government forces,’ UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a press conference in Geneva. ‘From those that did manage to cross the border, we have heard that mobile phones and cameras were being confiscated en route. Many people appear to be frightened and are unwilling to speak’.…”

Click here, here, and here for full articles.

Click here for picture of pro-Gaddafi demonstration on Libyan side of border.

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by | 04 Mar 2011 · 07:20

UN OCHA Situation Report 4 on Libya / UNHCR Update

OCHA Situation Report 4 on Libya.  “HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:

  • United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a meeting of United Nations agencies and regional organizations to discuss a coordinated approach to the humanitarian situation in and around Libya. He intends to appoint a special envoy responsible for coordinating the relief effort;
  • According to IOM, 172,874 people, mainly migrant workers, have left Libya to date;
  • The OCHA-led joint United Nations rapid assessment reported little evidence of destruction between the Egyptian border and Benghazi. There are concerns over the implications a fuel-supply cut will have on the continuity of water and power supplies for critical infrastructure;
  • According to the Financial Tracking Service, US$35.6 million has been contributed and $10 million pledged from donors in response to the crisis.”

Click here for OCHA Situation Report.

Click here for OCHA Map and Data update.

UNHCR – “GENEVA, March 3 (UNHCR) – An operation to evacuate tens of thousands of people from the Tunisian border and fly them home was under way on Wednesday. Under a programme led by UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 50 flights were planned on Thursday to take migrant workers, mostly Egyptians, back home. UNHCR flew home 177 people to Egypt on a first flight Wednesday evening…..”

Click here for UNHCR update.

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by | 04 Mar 2011 · 06:59

Satellite Imagery- Situation at Ra´s Ajdir, Libya-Tunisia Border Crossing Facility (3 MAR 2011)

From UNITAR/UNOSAT:  “Based on a rapid assessment of satellite imagery recorded this morning (3 March 2011 – 11:26 am local time) there are several thousand people located primarily within the Ra´s Ajdir border crossing facility along the Libyan-Tunisian border. There are multiple concentrations of people within different waiting and processing sites, as well as long lines of people and small vehicles waiting to move beyond the border into Tunisia. Although there are many permanent buildings in the area, there are no indications of emergency tent shelters available within the facility grounds for the thousands of people currently waiting. This report is part of an on-going satellite monitoring program of UNITAR/UNOSAT of the Libyan crisis and will be updated based on new satellite imagery tasking.”

Click on pictures below or here for links to images.

 

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by | 03 Mar 2011 · 06:43

UN OCHA Situation Report 3 on Libya

OCHA Situation Report 3 on Libya.  HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:

  • On 1 March, an estimated 12,000 people were evacuated from the Tunisia-Libya border to Egypt by air and sea;
  • A United Nations joint rapid assessment mission is currently in eastern Libya proceeding to Benghazi to assess humanitarian needs;
  • The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated some US$5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to kick-start emergency efforts to help people fleeing violence in Libya.

Click here for Report.

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by | 03 Mar 2011 · 06:33

Migrant Arrivals in Lampedusa Resume; 10 Boats–500 Migrants Arrive During 24 Hour Period

After a week or so without any migrants arriving in Lampedusa, ten boats carrying approximately 500 persons arrived in Lampedusa and nearby Italian islands over a 24 hour period 1st-2nd March.  Improved weather conditions are the most likely explanation for the new boat arrivals.  Highlighting the difficulties of maritime surveillance, one of the migrant boats with 22 migrants landed on the island of Linosa, roughly halfway between Lampedusa and Malta, without being detected.

According to Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, to date 2,000 Tunisians have applied for some form of protection; less than 400 asylum requests have been made.  According to Maroni, most of the Tunisians have expressed a desire to go to other European countries, generally France or Germany.

Maroni said that Italy’s agreement with Tunisia limits repatriation of Tunisians to four persons per day and Italy is therefore currently negotiating with Tunisia to increase the number of persons who may be repatriated.  If the daily limit is not changed it would take years to return the thousands who have arrived in Italy.

Click here (IT), here (IT), and here (EN) for articles.

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by | 03 Mar 2011 · 06:03

Italy Agrees in Principle to Accept 2000 Eritrean Refugees Stranded in Tripoli

Responding to requests made by CIR and Bishop Giovanni Martinelli, Catholic Bishop in Tripoli, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni yesterday said that Italy was not opposed to receiving approximately 2000 Eritreans from Libya.  Most of the Eritreans are Catholic and have been receiving some assistance and protection from the Catholic Church in Libya.  At least 54 of the Eritreans are in possession of some form of UNHCR documents according to the Bishop’s appeal.

Click here (IT) for article.

Click here (IT) and here (IT) for Bishop Martinelli’s appeals.

Click here (EN) for CIR’s appeal.

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by | 03 Mar 2011 · 01:13

2500 Somalis Stranded in Tripoli – Too Fearful to Flee

From IRIN:  “Some 2,500 Somali migrants in the Libyan capital Tripoli, under the control of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, are holed up in the violence-affected city and unsure what to do, say Somali migrants there. ‘We have not left our house in the last 12 days. If we go out we are liable to be attacked,’ one of the Somalis, Mohamed Aweys, told IRIN by phone from Tripoli. ‘A friend who went out on 1 March to get some supplies has not returned. We have not seen or heard of him since; his mobile is switched off.’ … Another 500 in the rebel-held city of Benghazi, Aweys said, had been targeted as suspected pro-Gaddafi mercenaries. ‘We spoke to some of them on the phone in Benghazi and they are hiding in their homes.’ … Asked if they would try and reach the Egyptian or Tunisian border, like other foreign nationals, Ahmed said: ‘We are afraid we will get killed before we reach any border.’…”

Click here for article.

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