Migrants wait at the port to be transferred to the mainland, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 14. Lampedusa sits in the Mediterranean between Tunisia, Malta and the larger Italian island of Sicily and is a first port of call for many migrants seeking to reach the European Union. "In the past 48 hours, around 7,000 people have arrived in Lampedusa, which has always welcomed them with open arms," mayor Filippo Mannino told Italy's RTL 102.5 radio. "Europe and the Italian state must step in immediately with a rapid support operation and swift transfer of people." The EU's migration commissioner, Ylva Johansson, said on social media platform X: "We are seeing a really challenging situation in Lampedusa.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 14, 2023 16:57 UTC