Two NGO ships carrying a total of 436 refugees were allowed to land in Sicily. Pozzallo was designated as a landing port by Italian authorities, Italian media reported. The German aid organization Sea-Watch reported that 344 people were on board the German rescue ship Sea-Watch 3, including 118 minors.
Today, 92 more people are scheduled to disembark, by the Italian rescue ship Marie Juno, over the weekend. Both ships were assigned to the port of Pozzallo by the Italian authorities at the request of both humanitarian organizations.
Tensions in the Italian government
She added that most of the refugees come from Tunisia, Pakistan, Syria and Sudan. Since the start of 2022, more than 20,000 people have arrived in Italy after cruises across the Mediterranean, according to the Interior Ministry in Rome. In the same period in 2021, there were 14,962.
The growing number is causing tensions in Rome. The leader of Italy’s right-wing Lega party, Matteo Salvini, has accused Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese of failing to do anything to curb migration flows.
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