After the Nice attack, the Italian island of Lampedusa is again talking about it.
"
The assailant (a 21-year-old Tunisian, Editor's note) arrived on September 20 on the island of Lampedusa, in Italy, then in Bari on October 9,
" Jean-François Ricard, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor, said Thursday.
To read also: Attack in Nice: the profile of the attacker becomes clearer
What should you know about Lampedusa, a small Italian island of 6,000 inhabitants?
On the occasion of this new attack, we take stock.
Why are migrants arriving by Lampedusa?
For many years, this Italian island has been one of the privileged entry points for immigrants in an irregular situation wishing to reach Europe.
The explanation is simple: it is above all geographical.
“
People who arrive in Lampedusa leave from Libya or Tunisia by all kinds of boats.
It is an island very close to the coasts, especially those of the Maghreb
”, explains Virginie Guiraudon, researcher at the CNRS and specialist in migration issues.
Who is coming to Lampedusa?
“A
lot of people from Tunisia arrive in Lampedusa.
Many also come from Libya, which is currently in total chaos.
The migrants arriving from Libya are not necessarily Libyans, they can also come from other countries,
”explains Virginie Guiraudon.
"
There have always been arrivals from Tunisia ... sometimes they are numerous, sometimes less, and the presence of Bangladeshis on boats from Libya is nothing new,
" Flavio Di Giacomo told AFP. spokesperson for the IOM (International Organization for Migration) last July.
How many migrants arrive through Lampedusa?
"
Arrivals are up compared to last year, but remain low compared to those of two years ago, and even more so those of three or four years ago
", detailed Flavio Di Giacomo last July.
That month, around 8,000 people had arrived by sea in Italy since the start of the year.
This is more than in 2019 (3,000 at the same time of year), but less than the year before (17,000 in 2018).
This flow is incomparable with that which followed the Arab revolts of 2011, in Tunisia and Libya.
Lampedusa then saw about 50,000 people disembark, half of Tunisians linked to Ben Ali or seizing the opportunity to reach Europe and half of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who took refuge or worked in Libya and driven out by the conflict.
How is it for the migrants, once in Lampedusa?
"
Lampedusa is what we call a 'hot spot', it is the word used since 2015 and the impressive arrivals of Syrians
", explains Virginie Guiraudon.
It is not uncommon for the island's emergency reception center to house more than 1,000 migrants, ten times its maximum capacity.
Since 2015, explains Virginie Guiraudon, a European registration center - with Frontex (the European coastguard agency, Editor's note), the European asylum support office and Europol (the European criminal police agency , Editor's note) - is present on the island, in particular to spot terrorists potentially already under surveillance.
Concretely,
"since 2015, people who arrive have been recorded, including by taking their fingerprints, in a file called Eurodac"
, continues Virginie Guiraudon.
This file is then used to "track" asylum seekers in order to prevent them from filing applications in several European countries.
We also find very different situations among arriving migrants.
“
Some will apply for asylum, others will not.
Some stay in Italy, others go to other countries.
There are also some which disappear in nature,
”summarizes the researcher.
The Nice attacker was in an illegal situation
Regarding the terrorist from Nice, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin said Friday on RTL that the assailant had had an Italian decree to drive him to the border.
But he was not held in an administrative detention center pending repatriation, says
Le Corriere della Sera
, an Italian daily.
This is how he took the opportunity to reach France where, not seeking asylum, he was also there in an irregular situation.
The perpetrator of the attack arrived at 6:47 a.m. Thursday at Nice-Thiers station, the city's main train station, before heading and then entering the Basilica of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption at 8:29 a.m.
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