A boat carrying some 50 migrants from Tunisia and West Africa has sunk off the coast of the island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily. The Italian coast guard has rescued 22 people so far, but it has also recovered at least 13 bodies.
The Italian government has presented a new asylum decree, which would see the waiting time for an asylum decision cut from two years to just four months, resulting in faster repatriations in applicable cases. Speaking at a press conference in Rome, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said the decree would also update the list of countries considered safe for repatriations.
More than 200 migrants have reportedly arrived on Italian shores over the weekend. The number of arrivals in Italy is on the rise once more.
Authorities in Italy are concerned over so-called "phantom" migrant landings, which have become a daily occurrence on the coasts of Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria.
The Italian Interior Ministry advised that a total of 1,200 migrants had arrived by sea in September to date. Meanwhile, arrivals by small boat continue unabated, in particular on the islands of Lampedusa and Sardinia.
Migration caused by natural disasters and violent conflict is on the rise: In the first half of 2019 alone, more than 10 million new people lost their homes due to extreme weather and political instability. Humanitarians and activists are warning of a "climate apartheid" and an "unprecedented" threat to human rights.
A boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya on Tuesday. At least 40 people are missing and are presumed drowned.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tunisia has reported that a group of Ivorian migrants that had been stranded at the border between Tunisia and Libya are now safe and receiving humanitarian assistance.
Tunisian authorities stopped a group of migrants who were allegedly trying to reach Italy illegally over the weekend. They arrested the four alleged organizers, who are being investigated for "forming an organised crime group aimed at illegally leaving the maritime border."
Various associations have launched an appeal calling for an immediate protection intervention for 36 people who are blocked in very difficult conditions at the border between Tunisia and Libya.
Last year, the European Union planned to introduce reforms to its migration policies, aimed at gaining better control over the migration situation into Europe. What's left of all those plans one year on?
Tunisia has prevented 53 Ivorian and Sudanese citizens from illegally entering the country, according to the country's defence ministry. Meanwhile, an unverified video on Facebook claims that the migrants were left in the desert without any food or water.