Surge in number of people crossing sea to Italy from Libya, UN reports

There has been a sharp increase in the number of people crossing the sea from Libya to Italy this week, with over 1,000 people arriving after making the hazardous journey across the Strait of Sicily, the United Nations refugee agency announced today.

“Most of the migrants are Somalis, Tunisians, Nigerians, Moroccans, Ghanaians, Palestinians and Algerians,” said Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR ), told reporters in Geneva.

Between 22-27 February, 1,104 people arrived at the island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily, while 41 reached the island of Pantelleria and 35 were rescued off the coast of Sardinia.

So far this month, a total of 1,855 migrants have landed on the shores of Lampedusa, setting a new record despite the harsh weather conditions, compared to 345 last February.

“We don't know the reasons behind the increase,” Mr. Redmond noted.

Italy's coasts are an entry point for potential asylum seekers, with some 30 per cent of arrivals applying for asylum last year. Around 65 per cent of the people arriving by boat who filed applications in 2007 were granted a form of protection.

Nearly 20,000 people arrived in Italy's islands or the mainland by boat from North Africa last year, compared with 22,000 the year before. In 2007, at least 471 people were reported dead or missing.

UNHCR, together with the Italian Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has been working on Lampedusa since March 2006 to assist those fleeing conflict and persecution and risking their lives to cross the sea to Italy.