A heartbreaking incident has emerged from the ongoing migrant crisis in the Italian island of Lampedusa, where a newborn baby was found dead aboard a rescue boat carrying approximately 40 people. The infant was born during the perilous journey and tragically lost its life shortly after birth. This tragic event follows the recent drowning of a five-month-old boy during another rescue operation off Lampedusa. As the island grapples with an unprecedented influx of migrants, it has sparked calls for urgent action from both Italian and European leaders, The Guardian reported.
Rising migrant arrivals
The situation in Lampedusa has reached a critical point, with a staggering 126,000 migrants having arrived in Italy this year alone, nearly double the figure recorded during the same period in 2022. In just three days between Monday and Wednesday of this week, an astonishing 8,500 people, exceeding the entire permanent population of Lampedusa, arrived on the island aboard 199 boats, according to data from the UN migration agency.
Italian government's response
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called upon the European Union to take concerted action, including the possibility of deploying a naval mission, to curb the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa. In a video message, she emphasized the "unsustainable" migratory pressure faced by Italy in 2023. She attributed the issue to the "difficult international situation" in Africa. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Meloni to visit Lampedusa. This visit underscores the seriousness of the situation and the need for a coordinated European response.
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Germany, despite previously announcing the suspension of a voluntary agreement with Italy to receive new arrivals, has now decided to continue taking in people arriving in Italy, according to Germany's Interior Minister. This shift indicates the evolving nature of European responses to the crisis. In Lampedusa, local residents have voiced their opposition to a plan to construct a new tent camp for migrants. Protesters have expressed concerns about the impact on their community and the uncertainty about the island's future. They conveyed a strong message to both Europe and the Italian government, demanding an end to the use of tent camps.
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