Vendicari, Augusta, Pozzallo: A new series of arrivals and landings

A continuous series of arrivals has determined the hours between the
night of the 21st and the morning of August 22. According to the Deputy
Commissioner Carlo Parini’s statement which
he has made ​​on behalf of the interdepartmental
troop group for illegal immigration to the Prosecution of Syracuse, a blue
sailing ship of about 10 meters in length stranded in the nature reserve of the
small island Vendicari on Thursday night at 10 o’clock in the evening. Oddly
enough, it is said that the ship left from Turkey. It was not intercepted by
the ships of the “Mare Nostrum” operation as they were already busy
with other utility operations.

In this context, it is remembered that this is already the second ship
which has left from the Turkish coast within a short time. On board of the
sailing ship which is currently under supervision in Marzamemi , were 88 people
of mainly Syrian and Afghan nationality. They are families and among them also
some pregnant women. The municipality Pachino also lent a hand and brought the
refugees to the center “Le Zagare” of Città Giardino, a district of
Melilli, at around 4 am. A few days ago, about a hundred Syrians who have
landed in Augusta, were already taken there. The Commissioner has stressed that
there were no unaccompanied minors among them and that their health condition
was all in all good.

Yesterday morning, however, the ship Dattilo of the
Coast Guard has brought about 588 migrants, recovered in four different rescue
operations, to the port of Augusta. The Dattilo got support from a merchant
ship which was travelling between the Libyan and Greek coast. The ships (of the
refugees) followed the route of Egypt. All day yesterday, there were refugees
from Syria, Egypt, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa in the harbour to
finish the identification procedure.

Also, the arrival of Palestinian refugees seems to rise considering the
small but ever increasing number of citizens from Gaza among the new arrivals.
Days ago we were able to talk with a migrant who was waiting in the courtyard
of the CSPA of Pozzallo. He told us about his escape from Gaza. He asked for
news about the fighting and stresses how the recent bombings have driven him
from his country. His goal is to flee to Sweden or the UK but possibly also to
Switzerland because he heard nothing good about Italy. Therefore, he has eluded
the identification procedures. In Catania, the police had told him that he was
free to flee.

Four alleged Egyptian smugglers have been identified (one for one ship
and three for another) among the refugees in Augusta. They are being
questioned.

The rescued migrants, of course, among them unaccompanied minors, are
distributed to the different centres according to possibility. However, they do
not know yet where they are being brought exactly.

Meanwhile, on the some morning of 22nd August 215 migrants,
mainly families of Syrian nationality, arrive at the port of Pozzallo; among
them 39 women and 79 minors. They were immediately taken to the CSPA (Centro di Soccorso e prima Accoglienza: Zentrum zur Ersten Hilfe und
Erstaufnahme) in the harbour to perform the procedure of
identification and possible relocation. As we have heard from some medical
assistants who came hastily out of the centre, there is also a group of
Egyptian refugees who have been immediately identified by the police as
possible traffickers.

Meanwhile, more arrivals are expected in Catania this morning.

Beatrice Gornati and Lucia Borghi

Borderline Sicilia Onlus

Aus dem Deutschen von Aylin Satmaz