Migration challenges must be addressed
Libya has been calling on its African neighbours to toughen up border security over concerns that large numbers of people have been smuggled across its borders since the end of the civil war last year. Moreover, a deteriorating security situation in southern Libya has led Libyan Foreign Minister Ashour bin Khayyal to describe it as threatening to increase illegal immigration into Europe from Africa.
Following talks in Rome, the Libyan minister said that, for the moment, the situation is not too bad. However, there were indications that it could worsen. “African immigrants have arrived at the Egyptian-Libyan border. The numbers are not that big but they could increase and that is why we are giving this warning,” he said.
Malta’s present experience points to the same direction. There have been repeated arrivals of boat people over the past days. Each arrival not only exacerbates an already difficult situation Malta has been facing but is also another sad story of an unfolding human tragedy.
The porosity of the Libyan borders makes it rather easy to reach the coast with the aim of crossing the Mediterranean. Caritas Italy has warned that when the weather is good “thousands are ready to come to Italy”. Oliviero Forti, head of the immigration section of Caritas in Italy, could have been stating the obvious when he told this to a three-day meeting for Caritas organisations operating in the Mediterranean earlier this month in Cagliari. And, yet, that is the stark reality.
This year’s Caritas forum, known as MigraMed, was dedicated to the dialogue between the two shores of Mare Nostrum. It touched on, among other themes, the conflict in the Middle East and North Africa as well as the reception of migrants and perspectives of migration.
According to Caritas, the situation of sub-Saharan migrants in Libya has worsened and boatloads of people, including many women and children, are expected to head towards Italy in the coming weeks. This despite the Libyan authorities’ continued efforts to prevent people from taking to the sea.
The general feeling among non governmental organisations in contact with sub-Africans in Libya is that these people want to cross to Europe because racism has increased in their regard mainly due to the action of certain organised groups hunting blacks. Moreover, work opportunities are still lacking as foreign companies have yet to return to the country.
Caritas Italy recognises that the transitional government in Libya is unable to manage the flow of migrants. It does not see the present situation as amounting to a mass exodus as was the experience during the Arab Spring. However, it fears the phenomenon will still overburden an already-saturated reception system in Italy. Of course, the same could be said with regard to Malta.
After his exchanges with his Libyan counterpart, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi described immigration as a big and urgent issue to be tackled at European level. He said Italy was stepping up cooperation to improve monitoring and border controls and would seek a bigger contribution from EU partners.
This is imperative if the phenomenon is to be addressed at its source. Along with preparing itself adequately for the potential new wave of summer immigrants, Malta, like Italy, must continue to voice its concerns in the EU loud and clear. There exists an urgent need to swiftly put in place a new EU cooperation plan, hand in hand with the Libyan government and the UNHCR, to also ensure international protection for all those needing it.
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Mauro debattista
Jun 18th 2012, 18:22
The push back deal as Italy just signed with Libya is the only solution. The above article is full of ideal words but not realistic. Malta has to adopt the same position.
From time to time a lot of excuses were stated to justify illegal immigration, maybe someone has got a commission over this human tragedy. Now it's racism. So from 2002 to 2011 what was the reason?
John Azzopoardi
May 31st 2012, 11:39
The illegal Migration issue must be addressed by our maltese politicians and they must stand up and say we are full up and will no longer accept these illegal migrants on our shores. Begging to the EU is not going help. And that is the reality of it. It is also very unbecoming to beg on behalf of a problem we did not create.
Joseph Calleja
May 30th 2012, 16:29
" due to the action of certain organised groups hunting blacks." That is a very serious statement. Can you please explain what you mean by "hunting blacks?" Now for a solution to the illegal immigration problem. "SEND THEM BACK TO WHERE THEY CAME FROM WITH NO EXCEPTION."Call me a racist if you will, but that is the only solution. Everybody is out to do the Politically Correct way and surrender to the UNCHR and the rest of the NGOs. We either put up our hands up in the air and accept, like we are doing right now, or stop the illegal immigration before it starts once and for all. Look at what is happening in Malta alone. These illegal immigrants are infringing on our lifestyle and we have to conform to their ways instead of them conforming to ours. We have emissaries coming to our country to make sure these people are not mistreated and so on and so forth. Nobody ever gives a hoot nanny about how the Maltese people feel about all this. And yet these emissaries of good will ( bleeding hearts policemen) are willing to condemn the way we are treating these illegal immigrants. Look what is happening in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and the rest of the EU countries. It seems they all submitted to the UNCHR and the citizens are becoming the minority. Is that what you mean by hunting blacks? It could very easily happen in Malta. Far fetched? Take a good look around you, and I don't mean the North part of Malta either, because they have not discovered those places yet, but they will. It is OK as long as they do not live in my back yard, right? Why not hold an anonymous poll and see how the majority of Maltese Citizens feel? Then tally up the totals by counties. You have your opinion and we have ours, we are both entitled to express our opinion, right?
Louise Vella
May 30th 2012, 14:31
“This despite the Libyan authorities’ continued efforts to prevent people from taking to the sea.” As Libya is not keen to have all those sub-Saharan Africans, its efforts to prevent them leaving are not very credible. “The general feeling among non governmental organisations in contact with sub-Africans in Libya is that these people want to cross to Europe because racism has increased in their regard mainly due to the action of certain organised groups hunting blacks.” This is what the sub-Saharans themselves tell the NGOs who believe everything they say and are prejudiced in their favour. Let’s not forget that the sub-Saharans will say anything that can help them get a passage to Italy and refugee status.
Louise Vella
May 30th 2012, 14:29
I’m afraid your editorial is written from the point of view of NGOs – Caritas, MigraMed - and UNHCR which behaves like an NGO. These organizations are well known to favour the massive immigration of
Africans into Europe, even though unemployment in Europe is above 10%. African immigrants can only add to the unemployed and compete with them for jobs. Malta is an extreme case of a small country being full up and not being able to take more illegal immigrants. But that is also the case of most other European countries as witnessed by their refusal to share our burden. If there is no burden sharing there is no point and no reason to tell the Maltese to carry the ever growing burden of illegal immigrations – whatever do-gooder organizations say.
Evarist Saliba
May 30th 2012, 13:31
While the general picture given above is substantially correct, I cannot agree with the NGO's assessment that the exodus from the sub-Sahara is due to racism practiced by organisaised groups hunting blacks.
This begs the question, "What is the colour of the skin of the organised groups?" The implication is that they are not black. The victims are black. The perpetrators of racism must be of another colour.
This incredible bias which flies in the face of reality is strengthened further when blame is put at the door of foreign companies for not returning to those countries to provide employment.
With such biased assessments of the problem there can be no viable solutions.
Gervais M. Cishahayo
May 30th 2012, 13:16
Whatever the qualifier (legal or illegal) the issue of immigration must be (and can only be successfully) addressed at global level: "...This is imperative if the phenomenon is to be addressed at its source.... There exists an urgent need to swiftly put in place a new EU cooperation plan, hand in hand with (my insertion) [the immigrants countries of origin and] the UNHCR, [through the AU] to also ensure international protection for all those needing it.
Please choose the reason of your report below: