The Lampedusa boat tragedy occurred on October 3 2013 when a 20m-boat
ferrying over 500 illegal immigrants—mostly from Eritrea and Somalia—capsized
in the Mediterranean Sea near the Sicilian Island. Those on board had moved to
one side of the overloaded boat after it caught fire. Fishermen who were the
first to arrive on the scene managed to rescue 155 people.
So far, divers have retrieved 311 bodies from the wreckage, which
represent one of the worst boat disasters involving illegal immigrants. Rescue
efforts have been hampered by the fact that most of the bodies are trapped in
the wreckage of the boat.
Eritrea has sought to assure its
citizens that it is planning on returning the bodies of the Eritrean victims of
the Lampedusa boat tragedy for a state
funeral. This announcement comes in the wake of Italy’s declaration to honour
the over 300 victims with a state funeral.
However, the Eritrean Embassy in
Italy announced that it is negotiating with Italian authorities so that the
deceased can be taken back to their homeland for burial by their kin.
Furthermore, the Eritrean government has undertaken to cater for transport costs as
well as other expenses that may be involved.
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| Eritrea has set aside a day of national mourning for the Lampedusa victims (Photo Credit: www.tesfanews.net) |
The Eastern African country’s plan,
however, may never come to fruition after the Italian government granted
posthumous citizenship to the victims. Ironically, the fate of the survivors of
the tragedy is unknown. Under the 2002 Bossi-Fini Immigration Law, the survivors were to face criminal charges for ‘clandestine
immigration’—an offence, which carries a fine of €5,000.
In light of the tragic
events, the government has set in motion plans to repeal this law.
Italy’s decision to grant
posthumous citizenship to deceased and deprive survivors of the same has been
labelled as a politically motivated move that is aimed at salvaging its
conscience. Mary Dejevsky described in her article in The Spectator, that “this is grotesque and proves to would-be
refugees and activists that receiving countries prefer dead migrants than those
who make it alive”.
Prime Minister Enrico Letta met a hostile reception
when he visited the Southern Italian island of Lampedusa alongside European Commission
President Jose Manuel Barroso. Shouts of ‘disgrace’ and ‘killers’ filled the
air as the two arrived at a makeshift mortuary to meet survivors and rescue
workers. One protester shouted, “Shame
on them! They should solve this humanitarian crisis”.
Barroso announced the
disbursement of 30 million Euros to assist Italy resettle the refugees. He also
explained that the EU would focus on people who smuggle illegal migrants into
Europe and cooperate with the illegal immigrants’ countries of origin.
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| Lampedusa residents throw flowers at the scene of the boat disaster in memory of the victims (Photo Credit: www.dailymail.co.uk) |
On his part, PM Letta promised
to push for migration to be included at the centre of the EU’s agenda. He
acknowledged the mushrooming of a huge humanitarian drama on Lampedusa. France
has already called for an urgent EU meeting to discuss Italy’s concerns.
Lampedusa
has been one of the three key entry points for illegal immigrants into Europe.
Other routes include the West African route via the Canary Islands and the West
Mediterranean route. Lampedusa was in the news back in 2010 when 63 illegal
immigrants lost their lives—an event that incurred the anger of activists on
Spanish and French military for ignoring the immigrants’ distress calls.
According to BBC, 2013 has seen over 30,000 illegal immigrants enter Italy by sea. Three thousand Eritreans often try to flee their
country every month because of political persecutions and forced conscription
into the army. The Al Shabab menace in Somalia is one of the reasons many
Somalis flee the country for a better life in Europe. This situation is
compounded by the lawlessness in the country, which has been rocked by over 20
years of war.
In light of the Lampedusa boat disaster, should EU
be more accommodative of illegal immigrants fleeing their countries?
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