The arrival of 97 refugees evacuated from Libyan camps to Italy – Flama Agency

“There are many people suffering in Libya, and they need help. I saw terrible things there. But today I am happy and I hope I can provide a good life for my children.” This is how Aisha, a 30-year-old woman from the Central African Republic with four children, expressed herself: The plane landed Tuesday afternoon at Rome's Fiumicino Airport with a group of 97 people on board refugees

His arrival in the Italian capital was made possible thanks to the protocol signed last December by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Arsi, the Community of Sant'Egidi and the Union of Evangelical Churches. Churches and INMP (National Institute for the Promotion of Health of Migrant Populations), which In the next three years, it will allow 1,500 refugees to be evacuated from Libya to Italy and people in need of international protection.

Aisha She survived on the streets alone with her four children Between three years and six months. “I had nothing to eat. I met humanitarian workers who helped me and operated on my abdomen.” sir. After spending 4 years in Libya, where she arrived on foot through the desert, Aisha attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea 6 times but was always intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard, who transported her to notorious detention centers, where no one escapes abuse. Especially women. .

A new life after the Libyan hell

Aisha's story had things in common with the rest of the people who arrived in Italy, including 55 women and 27 children. After fleeing countries experiencing conflicts such as Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Palestine and SyriaMost of them went to detention camps in Libya, where they were victims of torture and other serious ill-treatment. Fortunately, they were intercepted during their journey by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the small Diocese of Tripoli.

In this new life in Italy They will be hosted by families and structures of the Sant'Egidi community from different regions of the country They will follow a path of welcome and social integration that includes, among other things, accommodation, support for bureaucratic procedures, Italian language courses, schools for children and integration into the world of work.

The new protocol that It opens a way out for people who are in a more serious situationIt is a continuation of the first agreement signed in 2021 and renews the commitment initiated by Italy in 2017 which allowed the arrival of about 1,400 people into the country from Libya, thanks to evacuation mechanisms or via humanitarian corridors. According to the community of Sant'Egidi, from February 29, 2016 until today, 7,000 people have entered Italy, France, Belgium and Andorra thanks to these humanitarian corridors.