In Italia i primi flussi migratori iniziano negli anni Settanta. La pancia calda dell’Italia ospitava, tra indulgenza e fastidio, manodopera a buon mercato soprattutto per lavori umili che iniziavano a scarseggiare. Si aggiungono ai tanti dialetti italiani nuove lingue a formare un ventaglio di suoni indecifrabili.

La società italiana, alla fine del secolo scorso, gode ancora di buona salute: la borghesia avanza, gli studenti aumentano, gli operai acquistano diritti, i migranti lentamente si inseriscono nelle nostre case. L’Italia si scopre avvolta dai miti del successo e del capitalismo, da politici che giocano a fare le star hollywoodiane, dal desiderio diffuso di viaggiare verso mete esotiche. Ma è soprattutto l’esotico che arriva a casa nostra con la Grande Migrazione del 2011 legata al periodo delle Primavere Arabe nel Nord dell’Africa. Da allora ci siamo talmente abituati alla tragedia dei migranti, in tutte le sue sfumature, da viverla come un dato di fatto, come parte del nostro paesaggio.

Ben venga una mostra come “EXODOS”, popoli in cammino per ricordarci cos’è la migrazione, chi è il migrante. Volti, sorrisi, pianti, bambini, filo spinato, abbracci, stanchezza, barche sfasciate, binari ferroviari, battigie, disperazione, poliziotti, divieti, treni. Circa settanta immagini sulla migrazione.

Ci muoviamo nella mostra con loro. Scopriamo una tappa di questa esposizione itinerante ad Alessandria, dopo il successo ottenuto a Novara nel mese di novembre, e che nasce dalla collaborazione tra l’Ordine dei Giornalisti del Piemonte e l’Università del Piemonte Orientale. I migranti ci svelano, attraverso le foto dei fotoreporter, il calvario per arrivare in Italia e quanto accade nei nostri confini, da Lampedusa a Trieste alla Val Susa a Ventimiglia. Un invito a ricordare, a rendere consapevoli in particolare i giovani, della migrazione. Esodo questa è la storia fotografica di un popolo in cammino.  

Una domanda inquieta: abbiamo dunque bisogno di una mostra come questa  per ravvivare la memoria di qualcosa che avviene tutti i giorni? Morti nel Mediterraneo, bambini orfani senza genitori, mendicanti migranti sotto i portici delle città, nelle stazioni, sui social. Quirico ha partecipato al convegno inaugurale incalzando : “Da 15 anni, 15 anni! E tutto è tragicamente immobile: le parole le promesse le accuse le bugie i silenzi le ipocrisie e i migranti. Un popolo senza nome e bandiere che cammina attraversa i mari e i deserti. E muore.”. La migrazione non la vogliamo integrare nella nostra fragile, ipocrita ‘’civiltà’’: eppure sappiamo! Contiamo i morti. Conosciamo le rotte. Dalla Siria attraversano il confine con la Turchia e da lì si dirigono prima in Grecia, poi in Macedonia, e poi cercano di risalire verso la Germania attraverso la Croazia, la Serbia, la Slovenia, l’Austria, l’Ungheria. Oppure dalla Libia e dalla tunisia salpano su caravelle marce e sbarcano in Italia (quando riescono ad arrivare) per poi dirigersi spesso verso il nord Europa, oppure in Francia e ancora in Inghilterra. Altri confini, altre umiliazioni, altri rifiuti.

Chiedo a Paolo Siccardi, fotoreporter, di raccontarmi la sua esperienza di narratore per immagini dell’esodo. “Sono tredici i fotoreporter coinvolti in “Exodos-Exit” quasi tutti torinesi o che vivono a Torino : Marco Alpozzi, Renata Busettini, Simona Carnino, Mauro Donato, Max Ferrero, Mirko Isaia, Giulio Lapone, Matteo Montaldo, Giorgio Perottino, Andreja Restek, Paolo Siccardi, Stefano Stranges, Mauro Ujetto. Il progetto nacque nel 2017 da un’idea dell’Associazione degli ex allievi del Master di Giornalismo Giorgio Bocca di Torino, sostenuta dalla Regione Piemonte e presentato per la prima volta a Torino, nello spazio della Regione di Piazza Castello. Da allora quella esposizione iniziale si è messa in cammino, è diventata itinerante, si è riproposta in molte città, sempre arricchendosi,  documentando nuove realtà di una tragedia che muta, si moltiplica, cambia protagonisti e dolore. 

Le immagini esposte nel 2017 erano state scattate prevalentemente un paio di anni prima. Oggi la mostra ha una parte storica – quella dedicata alla Western Balcan Route – a cui nel 2024, grazie all’Ordine dei giornalisti, è stata aggiunta una parte che racconta le più recenti migrazioni in una sezione intitolata ‘’origini’’, i luoghi  da dove partono  i migranti. Ad esempio sono state inserite  fotografie di Simona Carnino del Sudamerica, le mie in Sud Sudan e di altri colleghi in New Messico. Anche in Senegal con una scena tratta dal film Io Capitano. Come fotogiornalista lavoro da 25 anni sempre e solo per Famiglia Cristiana. Il convegno inaugurale ad Alessandria aveva lo scopo di intrecciare l’urgenza della cronaca, grazie ai reportages dei fotografi, con la profondità della ricerca scientifica di personalità come Telmo Pievani, biologo e il rettore Upo Menico Rizzi.”

I 13 fotografi, noti tutti a livello internazionale,  usano prevalentemente il colore a sottolineare l’intensità e la drammaticità della realtà. L’anno segnato nelle didascalie scandisce una realtà sconfortante: la vita dei migranti nel 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18,’19 …..’26 purtroppo è sempre la stessa. Dura mesi se non anni. L’estenuante viaggio interrotto e ripreso mille volte per mancanza di soldi, per rifiuti alle frontiere, per incarcerazioni, per fame, per dover affrontare migliaia di chilometri. Le immagini di Marco Alpozzi nel Mar Mediterraneo sono impregnate di paura, tristezza, speranza. Come le fotografie di Mauro Donato e Max Ferrero restituiscono gli scontri con le polizie custodi di muri inviolabili. Come la rete metallica fissata dagli scatti di Siccardi che segna visivamente il rifiuto. Simona Carnino e Renata Busettini scandiscono  la disperazione, i pianti, la fatica in Sud America. Allora non parliamo più. Ascoltiamo il silenzio. Guardiamo le immagini. Impregniamoci di quella sofferenza. Apriamo i nostri cuori. Allarghiamo le braccia. Accogliamo. La guerra insieme ai migranti busserà con sempre più rumore alla nostra porta e noi che parliamo, senza essere attrezzati ad affrontare le catastrofi, non sapremo più cosa fare.

L'articolo Exodos-Exit, guardare la migrazione che non vogliamo vedere proviene da InsideOver.

Pakistan has always been a major source of illegal migration to Western countries, and it has seen a spike in recent times thanks to the burgeoning economic crisis in the country. Similarly, it is a major hub for human trafficking as hundreds of thousands of Pakistani, especially, women and children are trafficked across international borders. It is not just Pakistanis but refugees from southern and south- east Asia too are smuggled to the west by Pakistan-based mafias and criminal gangs.

These activities now have posed security threats to the US and several European countries. The generosity shown by these countries in providing shelter appears to be turning against them now. Illegal Pakistani migrants have been found responsible for spreading religious extremism and carrying out terror activities in the West. Major terror attacks such as the 9/11, London bombing, Madrid train attack, Barcelona attack, and the fatal attack at Charlie Hebdo in France were carried out by people who migrated from Pakistan.

According to National Legal Incubation Centre, which is supported by US Mission Pakistan, around 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistanis attempt to entre Europe illegally every year. France has witnessed illegal migration by hundreds of Pakistani. In 2019, French authorities arrested 19 Pakistanis, who were hiding inside a truck.France and other European countries have expressed concerns over illegal Pakistani migrants thanks to the religious extremism being shown by them. In 2021, Spanish police busted a human smuggling racket that was sending Pakistani people to different Europe countries illegally.

There are around 120,000 Pakistanis living in Italy at present. Mixed Migration Centre, a Europe-based research group, revealed that 88 percent of Pakistani people who arrived in Italy recently used a smuggler to cross borders. European Parliament Member Dominique Bilde said Pakistan was involved in the sale of European Union passports and visas to people with criminal backgrounds, which posed a serious security. “We have seen, Pakistan is the leader in fake passports and fake documents,” said Bilde, further slamming Pakistan for utilising international aid for fomenting terror.

Religious extremism, military high-handedness, political instability, natural disasters, food shortage, rising unemployment, conflict and violence have forced millions of Pakistanis to flee the country and find shelter in prosperous Western countries. They resorted to whichever options were available to migrate, mostly, through illegal means. United Nations has called Pakistan a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking and smuggling in persons.

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) said human trafficking in Pakistan was widespread. “Pakistan’s human smuggling market is also flourishing, as many Pakistanis seek the services of smugglers in order to travel to Western countries,” it said. Human trafficking is operated by mafia-style groups and criminal networks such as People’s Aman Committee, D-Company, Altaf Khanani, who have links with corrupt government officials and political parties.American authorities found hundreds of Pakistanis were entering the country from the southern border illegally, and it was operated by a Pakistan-based human smuggling organization. Citing it as a “threat to the national security”, they designated Pakistani citizen Abid Ali Khan, who operated a transnational human smuggling network. “Abid Ali Khan is alleged to have organized and led an international organization that, in exchange for monetary payment, facilitated the illegal smuggling of individuals through various countries to the United States,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid.

Khan carried out human smuggling operations from Pakistan’s Nowshera, which is known for violent Islamic militancy and terror activities. US government announced USD 2 million award for information that leads to the arrest of Khan. There is deep involvement of Pakistani officials in the human trafficking business. This is a major reason why these syndicates work fearlessly. Pakistan government had to accept that the employees of the state-run airliner PIA were involved in human smuggling to Europe and other parts of the world.

Despite requests and warnings from Western countries, the Pakistani government appeared to have failed in dismantling the human trafficking run by Pakistani-based syndicates. Now, European Union has threatened tighter visa restrictions if Pakistandid not take the illegal migrant back.Now the EU is getting the Pakistani government to come up with plans to stop the “smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings”.

L'articolo Pakistan plays crucial role in illegal migration and human trafficking to West proviene da InsideOver.

Reportage / Environment 23.01.2023

Bearing the Brunt of Climate Change

This reportage was funded by InsideOver as the winning project of the Newsroom Academy photojournalism course held by Marco Gualazzini The wind blows forcefully along the rocky bed of the river Khali Gandaki, a desolate channel nestled in the mountains…

Daniele Cagnazzo

The ghost village of Samdzong has been hard hit by the climate crisis and the lack of water resources due to the severe drought which has transformed the region in recent decades. Many of the villagers who lived here have moved to the new settlement of Namashung on the other side of the valley, closer to the river and above all with easier access to the village of Lo Mathang.

5 people live in Sandzong, including adults and children who, despite everything, have decided to stay. Among them is a 38-year-old proud looking man, his face weather-beaten by the sun. He lives here with his wife Sangmo and their young son, Tsering. He invites us to his house for some tea as we are the first foreigners visiting the small village since the start of the pandemic: “Despite the drought and the lack of water we have decided to stay. Even though we know it will not be for long,” says Wangdi and goes on to explain: “On this side of the valley close to the border with Tibet, the climate is less rigid, and the gusts of wind are less intense than t the new settlement of Namashung where, thanks to the concession of about 11 hectares of land by the royal family of Lo Manthang, it is now possible to receive a new home. We could move there, but as long as there is one last drop of water in this land, we prefer to stay here: this is our home.”

The inhabitants have divided themselves between the old the new village which was built starting from 2013. However, to this day there is still no convenient road reaching it, making it even more difficult to travel to the different areas of the valley. The few remaining villagers struggle every day to safeguard the small streams and divert them to the fields used for cultivating.  The land surrounding Samdzong is arid, requiring considerable amounts of water. This puts harvests at risk and consequently the community’s livelihood. Carefully defining the arable areas and not wasting a single drop of water has now become essential for the small community. As Wangdi continues his story, his wife Sangmo proudly shows us the work done using wool from the few yaks grazing in the fields outside the village. Over the years they  have been decimated over the years due to climate change and the shortage of water. 

Naya Dhey (or Thangchung) on the banks of the river Kali Gandaki. The new community farm with its apple trees surrounds the new settlement

Wangdi recalls how in the past there was an abundance of food, and the excess harvest was sometimes sold to nearby villages. Today, due to climate change the force of the wind has significantly increased and the dust and sand it carries have greatly accelerated the melting process of snow and ice at high altitudes, thereby limiting the presence of water in the villages. It is estimated that within the next fifty years the glaciers in the Upper Mustang region will disappear, making it impossible to survive in this territory. Despite this, Wangdi and the other inhabitants of Samdzong have decided to stay for now, while adapting their habits to the new climate flow.  To survive in the short term some of them, including Sangmo, have turned to cattle breeding, selling them or harvesting wool. However, it is a vicious circle, and the lack of water makes these activities difficult as well.

 

Dhye, a ghost village

Unfortunately, Samdzong is not the only village facing the climate crisis. In the eastern area of the Upper Mustang, beyond the Dhi La pass, between breathtaking paths along steep ridges we arrive at Naya Dhey, a new settlement founded on the banks of the river Kali Gandaki. There is almost no water despite it being late spring. We enter the new village under the quiet and curious gaze of the silent inhabitants who in these areas rarely meet foreigners. The inhabitants of Dhey live in a new complex of houses in this village located in the mountains in eastern Upper Mustang and which over the years has suffered the same fate as Samdzong. Tashi  Gyatso Gurung moved to the new village where he coordinates the development project of the new settlement. “Living in the new village is easier. New houses have been built and thanks to the support of international associations such as the French Du Bassin au Nepal, we can guarantee a sustainable development in the new areas and the inhabitants will not be forced to emigrate again.”

Many inhabitants of the old Dhey village have started a new life and appear happy in the new settlement, as stated by Tashi Gurung: “In the old village water started to become scarce at the start of the new millennium. The heavy snowfalls of thirty years ago were slowly replaced by strong torrential rains which actually destroyed the crops, flooded the village and did not allow the collection of water to be used the fields which became less and less fertile. Over time these phenomena have become much more frequent which is why we have been forced to make the decision to abandon our old homes.”

Daily life in the new settlement after villagers left the old village due to the lack of water.

But just like in Samdzong, not all the inhabitants of the old village decided to move. About a two-hour drive from the new village, on a dirt road overlooking the rocky mountains, old Dhey is a village suspended in time. The grey sky frames an almost apocalyptic atmosphere with the last inhabitants committed to saving all that is possible from a land that no longer has much to offer. There are now only 12 people in Dhye who, despite everything, still haven’t decided to move to the new settlement. Women, men and children work every day to fertilize the land surrounding the village and drain the little water available to irrigate crops. 

In Upper Mustang many men spend time making woodwork, fundamental for the construction of beams for the structure of houses.

“The problems started around 2008 when, due to the drought, the land became arid and infertile. Rains were very rare and even the snow sticking to the mountains, was not enough to allow a supply of water in spring,” Topri Gurung tells. At 67 years of age he is the historic memory of the village. His gaze appears lost in the memories of years gone by as he sips a cup of tea in his new home in Thangchung. “The climate had become so unpredictable that long periods of drought were alternating with heavy sudden rains making survival in the village extremely hostile. In 2007, Dhey counted some 300 inhabitants, and it was then that all together they decided to migrate to a new area by the river, where it was possible to gather water for agriculture and guarantee the livelihood of the entire community through new rural initiatives.

 

The melting of the Langtang glaciers

Global warming is only a spark triggering a series of complications putting the very survival of humanity’s future at risk. Climate change in Nepal can really be seen first-hand, and its tragic consequences can also be witnessed in other regions. In Langtang for example, the national park north of Kathmandu, rich in biodiversity and forests, where the glaciers are slowly disappearing, altering the entire ecosystem. 

The village of Kyanjin Gompa is the last frontier in the trek through the picturesque Nepalese villages before climbing up a steep path leading to an altitude of 5200 m above sea level, just next to the Yala glacier. The landscape is populated only by yaks, guarding the route and sometimes blocking the road as if unappreciative of man’s presence in this extremely wild nature.

Our breath becomes increasingly short, and we feel the fatigue of the previous days as we climb all the way up to the top.  However, we are rewarded by an overwhelming almost unreal beauty, leaving us speechless: Before us are the Himalayas, with Shishapangma towering over the Chinese border at 8027 metres under a blue sky. Here we meet the group of international researchers and scientists with whom we have been in contact with throughout our expedition. The research team travels to the Yala glacier twice a year to measure its mass and monitor the volume of ice over time. 

“The heavy snowfalls of the past have turned into heavy rains which does not allow an increase in the volume of ice over time. Unfortunately, the Yala glacier is now clinically dead ,” states Sharad Joshi, a glaciologist at the international Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).Miriam Jackson, head of ICIMOD’s research program in Langtang, shares the same opinion. “In recent years, the loss of mass has accelerated considerably, especially in the summer season, with temperatures increasing greatly compared to 20-30 years ago, while in winter the mass growth is almost zero,” she says. Therefore, the glacier is literally retreating, and it could well disappear altogether within the next fifty years.“

Outside his tent at base camp Jacob Steiner, a glaciologist and researcher carrying out fieldwork on the glacier explains the consequences of a natural disaster of this kind. “The melting of glaciers in the Himalayan Hindu Kush region due to rising temperatures is causing profound changes to the entire ecosystem. It is altering the balance in the valley, exposing the local population to the risk of increasingly frequent avalanches due to the fresh snow not freezing. What’s more, the glaciers melting could cause the return of parasites and bacteria of the past, causing serious damage to agriculture and new forms of epidemics.” What is happening in Nepal is therefore a photograph in real time of the tangible consequences of climate change on Earth. It is very likely that the repercussions of these effects will occur in other regions of the globe with extreme events that are difficult to predict. According to UN forecasts, by 2051 billion people will be forced to leave their land due to unpredictable climatic events such as floods, storms, fires and extreme temperatures. And the Yala glacier , which has stood for thousands of years, will disappear within a few decades to be replaced by a large glacial lake.

 

L'articolo Bearing the Brunt of Climate Change proviene da InsideOver.

In the beginning, Europe was the centre of the world; or it thought it was. It still is in the planispheres.  We can find them with the United States at the center, or China, but they are not as widespread globally. At the heart of Europe is the Mediterranean, a melting pot of cultures, trade and conflicts. Europe colonized much of the world, to the west, south and east – always in relation to the old continent. It caused damage, but also fostered lasting and fruitful encounters.

Thus, for better or for worse, the old continent has influenced the planet for centuries. But now it is being influenced by a conspicuous part of the world. The countries involved are those of the so-called “Wider Mediterranean”, a geopolitical region with fluid borders. It includes the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as the entire Sahel belt and the Horn of Africa to the south, the countries bordering the Black Sea to the northeast, the Persian Gulf, through to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is from many of these countries that the migratory flows which have been affecting Europe for decades originate, and while the old continent continues to manage these as an emergency, it has become clear that this is a structural issue.  The causes which urge people to migrate are numerous and interrelated. Conflicts, political circumstances, violations of human rights, lack of work and future prospects, population growth, environmental problems, all contribute to determining in the countries of departure, difficult in if not tragic living conditions, which induce an increasing number of people to migrate in search of a better life.

The circumstances described above are in no way new. Yet, with every new arrival, and despite the numerous European and state laws regulating migration flows, Europe as a Union, and its individual states, are overcome by panic, be they  initial ports of entry, (Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Malta), or in northern and eastern Europe, many of which have no intention of redistributing on their territory migrants arriving in other European countries (Austria, Hungary and Poland, among others).

It would perhaps be appropriate to keep the panic in check and take time to reflect. No one has any intention of denying that migration from countries of what we call the Wider Mediterranean actually exists, that it will not abate, and that, especially due to the explosive demographic growth of those countries, it is likely to increase. This will, of course, have repercussions on our societies.  “Immigration anxiety”, however, could decrease if we consider the data for 2022 provided by the Flow Monitoring of the International Organization for Migration: the number of migrants to Europe has significantly decreased from 2016 to the present day – 389,976 people compared to the current 93,723. The peak of arrivals is almost always recorded concurrently with wars or political-social unrest, as for instance at the time of the Arab Spring or in the most tragic moments of the Syrian war.  On these occasions, many of those arriving were people who would fall into the category of asylum seekers and subsequently refugees.

However, what mainly concerns governments is the issue of ‘irregular’ immigrants. There are a wide range of different categories which we use to attempt to classify migrants and in fact it is difficult to accurately define the boundaries.  To give an example: those who might be granted refugee status are irregulars when they enter the host country, if not illegal. They will then have to go through a long process to be identified as asylum seekers and finally recognized as refugees.  What about climate migrants? Is fleeing from a country where droughts have wiped out any possibility of food security or access to water, really that different from fleeing a country at war or where one is subject to persecution? Aren’t people’s lives still at risk? The same should apply to economic migrants, who, driven by their country of origin’s precarious economic conditions, are fleeing from poverty. Isn’t theirs also a request for asylum?

Rather than cry out against invasion, European countries should examine the situation more thoroughly and reconsider many of the existing laws, perhaps making both the terms for reception less complex, as well as those regulating the repatriation of non-entitled migrants less cumbersome and long; or by increasingly facilitating humanitarian corridors and reopening regular immigration channels. Immigration can also have positive effects, especially considering that Europe is a country suffering from drastic ageing.

However, as Giorgio Gomel, President of the Alliance for Middle East Peace Europe points out, we are well aware that the migration issue “conjures up an ethical-political dilemma, that is the contrast between an ethics of hospitality and an ethics of security”.  Perhaps, the real solution to the problems concerning migration lies in being able to make the two ethics coexist, and fully acknowledging that, if well managed, exchanges between countries can also bring something positive.

L'articolo Europe and the ‘Wider Mediterranean’: a Tale of Migrations proviene da InsideOver.

Prokop (Bosnia-Herzegovina) «All of us want to go to Italy» explains 25-year-old Abdul Qayum, a former Afghan policeman, as he washes himself bare chested in a stream running through the fields. A dozen aspiring refugees huddling around the railway tracks in north-west Bosnia nod when they hear the word ‘Italy’. Together with a few hundred migrants living rough in the hills, they are trapped in a no-man’s land between the country’s Serbian and Muslim territories. The Republika Srpska wants nothing to do with them and loads the migrants arriving via the Balkan route onto buses to be transported over to the other side of the Bosnian Federation who, in turn, send them back. The result is an attack on a feeble Bosnian police line along the railway by some one hundred angry migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. To the cry of «Allah o akbar» they outwit the agents, disappearing into the forest.

Then, a few of them block the road in protest. The police charges, causing the migrants to disperse into the corn fields. Qayum points out: «We only want to play the game» as the illegal route to reach Italy across Croatia and then Slovenia has been renamed. Currently, Bosnia is an explosive reservoir counting some 7000-8000 migrants. «Every year 10,000-12,000 migrants arrive through the Balkan route and we estimate 90% get through. The Covid lockdown caused a bottleneck in spring. Now we are experiencing a backlash» explains Nicola Minasi, the Italian ambassador in Sarajevo. The «game» takes about ten days on foot, when the Croatian guards don’t intercept the migrants, often beating them badly and sending them back to Bosnia. The Afghan leader however reveals that «if you have 4,000 Euros the local smugglers will drive you to Trieste or Udine».

A trusted source in Sarajevo confides that «some migrants become traffickers. If you want to cross the border, the Afghani network is one of the most reliable». And it extends all the way to Milan where fellow countrymen having arrived from Bosnia await, offering assistance and a bed. «In truth they keep them captive and ask for a ransom from their relatives who might be wating for them in another European country, then they let them go» our source reveals. The Balkan route’s springboard to Italy is Bosnia’s north-western canton, bordering with Croatia.

The population of the main city of Bihac is exasperated. They feel the government has abandoned them. «Migrants go home» is their watchword following a rise in crime, fear of the pandemic and the increase in arrivals through the Balkan route. On 29 August thousands of people gathered in the main square where the red letters on a large billboard read «Stop immigration». There is also a photo of migrants with tents, camp-site style. The title, «Tourists?» is provocative. Speakers take to the stage, their nationalist speeches exploiting the protests in view of the November administrative elections as the hammering notes of Balkan rock blare in the background. Among the public there is also a veiled woman clapping vigorously. «The European Union is hypocritical. It must understand that illegal immigrants aren’t the only ones who have rights. The local population also has them» attacks Aldijana Munjakovic, a Bosnian ‘pasionaria’ who accuses the foreigners of 4000 crimes. The main request is to shut down the reception centres decided a few hours ago in Sarajevo. Ipsia is an NGO affiliated with the Christian workers’ association operating in the Bira centre in Bihac itself and housing 550 migrants. An Italian aid worker denounces the hunting down of migrants «with beatings and intimidation». She believes that «the only solution is to open the borders making no distinction between those who are fleeing from war, poverty or climate change». The result is that tension increases, migrants are left to themselves in the streets, in forests, or in abandoned factories for example in the outskirts of Velika Kladusa. A gateway to hell where some 200 people, who arrived here from Algeria and Bangladesh, live in miserable conditions. Many are ravaged by drugs. Tarek from Bangladesh explains «that many suffer from cholera, vomit and diarrhoea». Mice scuttle amongst the rubble of the former factory with makeshift small tents and straw beds. A rage against the entire world is palpable in this circle of hell. A time bomb punctuated by attempts to reach Italy. The rendez-vous is at half past one at night, after stocking up on bread, cans and water. Idris from Algeria, a rucksack on his back, gathers his small group: «Seven kilometres on foot to reach Croatia. And then the game begins until we reach Trieste».

L'articolo Bosnia, the open doorway of the Balkan route proviene da InsideOver.

Fausto Biloslavo, Italian journalist and external collaborator at InsideOver/ilGiornale.it walked all over the Balkans together with the illegal migrants to discover their journey and show the obstacles they encouter along their way to Europe.

L'articolo The Balkan route proviene da InsideOver.

Reportage / Migration 23.03.2021

No Man’s Land

When I was living in Athens I talked to Constantine, a Greek friend, about the immigration problem. He observed that borders can be real or imaginary – or both. The El Shalatin Camel Market in Egypt  I asked him to…

Anna Consilia Alemanno

Massimiliano Pescarolo

When I was living in Athens I talked to Constantine, a Greek friend, about the immigration problem. He observed that borders can be real or imaginary – or both.

 I asked him to explain this point. Smiling and looking at the bright blue Athens sky, he continued: “The suffering of people who are unable to cross certain borders because they are ‘not authorized’ is real. And, of course, those borders are politically real but they are only imaginary lines that someone, once, decided to mark on a map on the basis of sometimes strange and incomprehensible criteria, or because they were somehow convenient for them and only for them, certainly not for those who lived there, in those lands.”

I wonder what Constantine would say if he knew that there is a real no man’s land, not that far from Athens. In fact, there are two no-man’s lands.

It’s a land where borders are real but at the same time unreal. That is to say they mean nothing, since no one claims the land that these same borders define. On the contrary, the other territory, very close to this border is strongly contested by the two neighboring countries, Sudan and Egypt.

Below this line other boundaries are marked, including those of a small patch of land called the “Bir Tawil triangle” (meaning “long well” or “deep well” in Arabic). Bir Tawil is called a triangle but in reality it is a quadrilateral with a trapezoidal shape running along the twenty-second parallel of latitude north. This patch of land, with daytime temperatures reaching up to 45°C, is the only part of the planet – with the exception of one of the western regions of Antarctica called Marie Byrd Land – that does not belong to anyone since it has never been claimed by any state.

Hence it is terra nullius. The British drew this straight line to coincide with the parallel in 1899, when they controlled the region. They established that to the north it would formally belong to Egypt – which at that time was under British rule – while to the south it would have an Egyptian representative in Sudan and hence also be controlled by Britain.

By contrast there is another region just east of Bir Tawil that is disputed between Egypt and Sudan. It is called the “Hala’ib triangle.” The border area of this territory, which includes the areas of Halayeb, Shalateen and Abu Ramad, is controlled by Egypt. Since the 1950s, Sudan has claimed sovereignty over the Halaib Triangle overlooking the Red Sea coast on the Egyptian-Sudanese border and covering an area of approximately 20,580 square kilometers. Ever since Sudan gained independence from Anglo-Egyptian rule in 1956, the region was open to trade and the movement of people from the two countries without any restrictions. This lasted until 1995 when the Egyptian army took over it.

Cairo claims the Halaib triangle is Egyptian and in 2016 it refused to attend negotiations or resort to international arbitration to determine the right to sovereignty over the region, which Sudan claims, reiterating its complaint every year before the UN Security Council.

But now cracks are appearing in the surface tranquillity. As reported by the Arab website Al-Monitor, President of the Transitional Military Council of Sudan Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan delivered an emphatic speech to army officers and soldiers on August 24, 2020 in the Wadi Seidna military zone of Khartoum marking the 66th anniversary of the army’s foundation. He once again raised the issue of the disputed border region with Egypt. Burhan said the army will not give up an inch of Sudanese territory.

“We will not abandon or forget our right until the flag of Sudan is raised in Halayeb, Shalateen and any controversial area along Sudan’s borders,” al Burhan said. While the fate of this strip of land is still being disputed, nomadic populations and small permanent groups of about a hundred inhabitants occupy the area, living by herding and small-scale trade. The most important of these is the El Shalatin camel market, which in reality is located in Egypt but in its far south on the border with Sudan, just north of the disputed territory, about 300 km from Aswan.

Exchanging glances with the men, women and children who live, as best they can, in this place enclosed by disputed borders, I feel that Constantine’s statement becomes more meaningful.

Not because they risk their lives crossing the borders of Halaib, but because you are moved to wonder what difference it would make to them if they were Egyptian or Sudanese. You also wonder what these children of clear Sudanese origin scrambling among the white rocks will do one day when they are told by an armed Egyptian soldier that they cannot live where they have always lived. These are also naïve questions, I daresay.

L'articolo No Man’s Land proviene da InsideOver.

Since 2015, when the refugee and migrant crisis hit new highs across the coastal countries of the Mediterranean, the unrestrained activity of numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has been raising questions and concerns.

Sorting Honest NGOs from Imposters

Despite the presence of several acknowledged NGOs which have been clearly assisting in the mitigation of this unique challenge, there has also been a significant number of dubious entities with suspicious motives, literally created once the European Union started providing huge economic and material resources for the tackling of the refugee and migrant problem.

A recent coordinated operation of the Hellenic Police and the National Intelligence Agency of Greece brought to light a grim reality that many have been fearing for a long time: a number of NGOs not only neglected the problem but actually made the situation much worse by working alongside international networks of criminal migrant smuggling groups.

Operation ALKMINI

The joint operation under the codename “Alkmini” started approximately two months earlier around mid-August. Two individuals, recruited by the National Intelligence Service of Greece were sent to the coast of Izmir in Turkey, pretending to be migrants who were willing to illegally enter Greece.

In this context the two recruits established contact with a smuggling network, which offered to take them to Greek territory in exchange for a significant sum of money. The two agents were transferred to the Greek island of Lesbos alongside a number of other asylum seekers. In the process they collected information about the progress of the overall illegal operation and the role of specific NGOs that have been assisting all along.

Modus Operandi for Human Smuggling in the Mediterranean

According to the findings of Operation Alkmini the illegal transfer of these people was coordinated by members of four NGOs with presence in both the Greek and Turkish shores. In this case two women, an Austrian and a Norwegian, both of the working for NGOs, were coordinating the operation from Turkey acting as the link between the smuggling networks in Izmir and the NGO personnel in the Greek islands.

Once the vessels with the smugglers and the asylum seekers were en route, the NGO members in Greece were notified about the time of departure, the estimated time of arrival, and the number of people onboard. Also the exact location of the boats was provided through the ALARMPHONE application. Alarmphone (Watch The Med Alarm Phone Project) is a hotline for boat people in distress; as clearly stated in their official website, the number is not a rescue line, but an alarm number to support rescue operations.

One of the main means of ALARMPHONE is to constantly seek media attention and coverage in order to put political pressure on the local Coast Guard authorities. In the case of the illegal smuggling organized networks, Alarmphone was widely used to either provide data to the NGO members in the proximity of a staged boat sinking so they could push the Coast Guard authorities to intervene, or to spread false alarms of wreck incidents so the local authorities would be kept busy and the boat with the smugglers and the asylum seekers could approach the Greek shores unattended.

The Four NGOs Under Investigation

During the investigation by the Hellenic Police and the National Intelligence Service, 35 people, 26 from Germany, and the rest from Switzerland, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Norway, Austria, Iran and Afghanistan were identified as perpetrators in the illegal smuggling business.

These individuals have been identified and are currently being accused of participating in a criminal organization, people smuggling activity, and espionage. All 35 were arrested and released after once the Greek authorities contacted the respective embassies, and while the investigation is ongoing. All the aforementioned individuals – apart from the two individuals from Iran and Afghanistan – are members of the following four NGOs: FFM eV, Josoor International Solidarity, Mare Liberum eV, and Sea Watch eV.

Three out of the four NGOs are based in Germany, with only Josoor International Solidarity being headquartered in Austria. All four organizations are supposedly based upon volunteer work and donations, but further details about their financial backers and the key personnel working for them remains obscure.

It should be noted that according to the confidential report of the Greek authorities, the NGO Mare Liberum has been playing a key role in the operation since the vessel under the same name and managed by the organization was docked in the island of Lesbos, and has been assisting with the overall illicit process. The Greek task force raided the ship and arrested its crew, while confiscating the electronic equipment found onboard.

Also one of the founding members of Josoor International Solidarity was present in Turkey during Operation Alkmini, reportedly coordinating with the foreign smuggling network. Finally the NGO Sea Watch made headlines in the summer of 2019 with the wide-known case of Captain Carola Rackete, who was arrested after entering the port of Lampedusa carrying 40 migrants onboard despite the ban from the Italian authorities.

How Athens Has Been Handling Rogue NGOs

Since January 2020 the Hellenic Ministry of Migration and Asylum, alongside the appropriate national and local authorities, has adopted a series of measures to deal with the uncontrolled activity of NGOs across the Aegean Sea and within Greek territory. For this reason an official register with all the NGOs operating in Greece was created. The purpose of this record is to separate the NGOs that are operating in good faith and according to the international standards and those that have a rather dubious activity and whose motives are not clear.

Further to this, an additional record was established with the data of the individuals that are working as field operators and are actively involved in rescue operations and the day-to-day administration of the refugee camps in the Greek islands and mainland.

The measures of the Greek government have significantly limited the scope of the NGOs work through constant monitoring of their activities, the continuous control of their access to the “field”, namely the sea routes and the refugee/asylum seekers’ camps and the appointment of Greek officials in key positions for the camps and facilities management and administration. These were roles that until recently were undertaken by the members of the NGOs themselves.

Finally, a constant centralized and well-organized effort among the Hellenic Police, the Hellenic Coast Guard and the National Intelligence Service of Greece is taking place, bringing remarkable results as in the case of Operation Alkmini. Greek authorities are also coordinating with international agencies like Frontex and the role of these bodies is also critical to the accomplishment of each mission and to crack down on dangerous smuggling operations.

L'articolo Dozens of NGO Members Busted for Allegedly Helping Migrant Smugglers on Aegean Sea proviene da InsideOver.

Switzerland decisively rejected any restriction on the influx of immigrants in a recent referendum. The referendum comes with the advance of the right-wing conservative Swiss People’s Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP), which also sought to terminate individuals’ free movement within the European Union. Both SVP measures failed in Sunday’s vote.

What Happened in the Swiss Referendum?

According to the final result, 61.7 percent of participants in the referendum voted against the SVP’s plan. The SVP had argued that the influx of too many people reduces prosperity while also being too expensive for the country’s social welfare system. Since 1990, the population of Switzerland has increased by around 25 percent to 8.6 million.

The SVP had started the so-called limitation initiative, which demanded that Bern severely curbs migration to Switzerland. The bill “For moderate immigration” stipulated that the government in Bern ought to negotiate the end of free movement with the European Union within one calendar year. If this did not succeed, the government would have had to unilaterally terminate the freedom of movement within a further 30 days. As a result of the defeat of this motion, EU nationals can continue to move to Switzerland without significant restrictions. 

An End to Free Movement Would Have Damaged Swiss Economy

An end to the agreement would also have ended the free movement of the Swiss within the EU. Above all, however, it would have jeopardized the Swiss economy’s direct access to the European internal market. However, global corporations such as the pharmaceutical companies Roche and Novartis, the food producer Nestle or the major banks UBS and Credit Suisse rely on foreign workers. In addition, the EU is the most important trading partner of the export-focused nation.

The SVP routinely denounces mass immigration into Switzerland. It argues that too many people reduce the citizens’ prosperity and security and are too expensive for social services. They argue that the large number of immigrants had led to increased unemployment and polluted the environment and infrastructure.

Switzerland’s Big Population Increase Since 1990

Since 1990, Switzerland’s population has increased by around a quarter to 8.6 million, including more than 2.1 million foreigners. Almost 1.5 million of them come from an EU country, from Great Britain, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of people who commute to work in Switzerland every day from other EU countries.

In contrast, the government, parliament, the other parties, employers’ associations, and the trade unions reject the requested termination of persons’ free movement with the EU. The economic impact would be catastrophic and severely damage relations with the EU, they argue.

Switzerland’s Economic Relationship with the EU

The Swiss Confederation and the EU negotiated a package of seven bilateral agreements in the 1990s which the Swiss accepted by a large majority in a vote in 2000. The agreements provided Swiss companies access to the EU market. An agreement includes the free movement of people. In principle, Swiss citizens can live, work, and study in the EU. In return, citizens of EU countries can live, work, and study in Switzerland. If Switzerland were to terminate the agreement on persons’ free movement, the other six agreements would also automatically expire.

The weekend results are likely to bring new momentum to the lengthy cooperation negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union. The EU seeks to put all bilateral agreements under a framework agreement. This is also intended to weaken some of the privileges previously negotiated by Switzerland. If it refuses, Brussels threatens disadvantages for Switzerland. As a warning, it has already suspended recognition for the Zurich Stock Exchange and the Swiss government is calling for improvements to the proposal from Brussels.

L'articolo Switzerlands Rejects Immigration Restrictions via Referendum proviene da InsideOver.

Following the recent fires that destroyed the Moria camp in Greece, EU leaders have finally realized that they need to agree upon a long-term solution to the migration crisis that has engulfed Europe since 2014. Moria housed more than 12,500 migrants and refugees prior to its devastating fire on Sept. 9.

Merkel’s New Migration Policy Pitch

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been pushing for the bloc to introduce a mandatory system to manage migration, and it would require all 27 member states to participate in the scheme.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, referred to this plan as a “European solution to restore citizens’ confidence.”

The plan requires new compulsory pre-entry screening involving identity, security and health checks, and there will be a quicker asylum border process involving decisions within 12 weeks. There will also be quick returns for failed applicants.

Europe’s Population is in Decline

Nations that have refused to take in migrants are being provided with flexible options such as:

• taking in recent arrivals;
• ensuring that people who are refused asylum are sent back;
• providing immediate operational support.

It is understandable why the EU wants to take on more migrants despite the refugee crisis being a contributory factor toward the rise of radical parties in Europe and Brexit. As Ben Hall of the Center for European Reform suggests, Europe’s population is set to decline over the next 50 years. Italy will lose 28 percent of its population by 2050. In order to maintain its working age population, Italy would need to start importing more than 350,000 immigrants per year, or they would have to ensure that people are working until they reach the age of 75.

The Suggested System Will Have Many Problems

However, the compulsory system fails to do anything about the fact that all migrants will have to reside in Greece or Italy for some time. Their immediate arrival will strain those nations’ public services in the short-term, and there is no guarantee that these plans can prevent a repeat of the Moria camp fires.

This is despite the fact that the EU’s proposed plan is designed to ensure that each EU member state takes on their fair share of migrants.

The process of distributing migrants fairly could be time-consuming for the EU too. According to The Guardian, the European Commission is promising faster processes; it intends to implement a rule that all migrants should have health and security checks completed within five days.

The EU Does Not Have the Resources to Implement the System

Despite a promised pilot program in Greece, it is possible that the EU does not possess the resources to speed up slow procedures in Greece and Italy. This is because EU leaders slashed migration and border control spending by 27 percent when they struck a deal on the bloc’s seven-year budget, which will undermine their latest attempt to curb migration as they do not have the money for it.

Furthermore, a final deal is far from likely. The new system will be revised by the EU’s member states and by the European Parliament.

Also, no country is obliged to offer shelter to anyone, and it is certain that Poland and Hungary will continue to refuse to take in their fair share of migrants, even if the bloc can coerce them into helping in other ways. For example, Warsaw and Budapest may have to invest in reception centers for front-line states such as Greece.

The EU Needs More Than Internal Reform

The EU needs to go further than internal reform. German politician Jens Spahn told Politico that the bloc should support neighboring countries to prevent their citizens from migrating for economic reasons. It also needs to provide debt relief and fair trade to help its trading partners thrive in the future. But like with many of the EU’s decisions, they require agreement across the bloc, and that can never be guaranteed given its history.

The mandatory migration scheme may be based on good intentions, but a common refugee policy across 27 member states was always going to be problematic. Europe is a long way from witnessing an end to its migration crisis.

L'articolo The EU’s New Migration Laws are Unlikely to Solve Migration Crisis proviene da InsideOver.