Marina di Leuca (Apulia): Carabineri discover 83 "Asians" in coastal area south of Otranto (Rep 31.12.)

Otranto (Apulia): 49 "Asians" arrive at Gagliano del Capo in bad weather

(Rep 27.12.)

24 December: Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki appoints new cabinet; Hamadi Jebali Prime Minister; Rafik Abdessalem Foreign Minister

UNODC issues paper on "Smuggling of Migrants by Sea" (MaS 20.12.)

December 19: EU and IOM sign a € 9.9 million program with Tunisia, Libya and Egypt to enhance migration management and to prevent irregular migration (TAP 27.12.)

69 Somalis from Libya land in a rubber dinghy at Lampedusa; first arrival since 23 September; center remains closed

(ANSA 16.12.; MS 19.12.)

Bari (Apulia): Arrival of 70 migrants; two Ukrainian traffickers (male and female) arrested (ANSA 16.12.)

Gallipoli (Apulia): A fishing boat with 60 Egyptians intercepted by GdF (ANSA 13.12.)

Tineke Strik on a two-day visit to Malta; PACE report expected next spring

(MaS 15.12., ToM 17.12.)

On the occasion of International Migrants Day (18.12.) the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) focuses on illegal migration and missing "harragas" (TAP 15.12.) 

ECRE interview with PACE special rapporteur Tineke Strik: Inquiry continues, no new results yet (ECRE 9.12., MaS 12.12.)

Lampedusa still an

"unsafe" port

Otranto (Apulia): 55 Afghanis detected that had landed on a rubber boat; traffickers manage to escape

(ANSA/Rep 10.12.)

Gallipoli (Apulia): 75 Egyptians arrive in a fishing vessel intercepted by the GdF

(ANSA 9.12.)

Roccella Ionica (Calabria): Sailing boat with 81 sSAfricans intercepted by GC; left Libya with boat rescued by Maltese

(CdS 5.12./ToM 6.12.)

Mazara del Vallo (Sicily): 9 Tunisians land during night of 3 December; transferred to Trapani camp (ANSA 5.12.)

40 (44?) Somalis from Libya rescued by AFM from a sinking dinghy after issuing distress call; two reported dead

(ANSA 5.12., ToM/MT 6.12., ToM 7.12.)

December 5: Libyan forces intercept boat with 400 sSAfricans on board

(ToM/TP/ANSAmed 6.12.)

Clear indications that Libyan traffickers are active in Tripoli harbor

(ANSAmed, ToM 6.12.)

NTC Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali tells reporters that new Libyan government pursues different migration policy and no longer use it to blackmail Europe

(ANSAmed, ToM/MT 6.12.)  

4 December: New NTC Cabinet sworn in; Abdurrahim El-Keib Prime Minister; Ashour Bin Khayal Foreign Minister 

Cecilia Malmstrom demands more solidarity in intra-EU refugee resettlement with the assistance of the European Asylum Support Office (ToM 2.12.)

New Italian Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, says that the reactivation of 2008 Friendship Treaty with Libya is crucial (MaS 1.12.)