The majority of the asylum seekers and migrants are from Bangladesh, West Africa, Sudan, and North Africa. During stretches of good weather this summer, as many as 13 boats a day have arrived to Lampedusa, according to Bernardini: Most are small, sometimes carrying a single family of six to eight people. Meanwhile, the one migration reception centre (called a ‘hotspot’ in Italy) on Lampedusa is overflowing. “By the time they [asylum seekers and migrants] leave, new ones will have already arrived, leaving the hotspot perpetually crowded. The government is yet to repeal security decrees pushed for by Salvini that stripped tens of thousands of people of humanitarian protection and legal residency and hobbled Italy’s reception system.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 31, 2020 11:48 UTC