The humanitarian crisis in Lampedusa has seen more than 10,000 migrants arrive in recent days, making the island a strategic gateway to Europe.
The name Lampedusa is little known on this side of the world, but this Sicilian island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea is a destination for thousands of migrants and refugees.
In this respect, this territory is located between the coasts of Sicily and Libya. The flow of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa continues. Many of them are trying to realize their dreams of studying or getting a job. “My dream is to have a new life.” immigrant says into microphone D.W..
two women spoke euro news They were victims of racism, which motivated their evacuation.
“The Tunisians didn’t want to see us there, they didn’t like us and we didn’t feel welcome. That’s why we left. They didn’t banish me to the desert. To my friends, yes. We know people died there,” one woman said.
“Because of the war, I left Burkina. I went to Tunisia to travel to Italy. I didn’t last long there. It was very difficult because they don’t like black people.” Another interviewee said:
Lampedusa: an Italian paradise for African immigrants
Therefore, another testimony relates that the purpose is to live in Europe in order to find a better place to live. In fact, the island is located in the central Mediterranean, between Sicily, Libya, Tunisia and Malta, making it the gateway to European countries.
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But the arrival of ships from Libya and Tunisia has triggered an unprecedented exodus from the small island, home to more than 10,000 migrants than residents, sparking a migration crisis due to the lack of basic resources and supplies. I did. A few years ago there was no drinking water.
Lampedusa currently has around 6,400 inhabitants, but it must be remembered that the country’s borders collapsed after the arrival of large numbers of migrants.