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BY KAZAM RAZA BHATTI
This is what lies behind the new possible immigration route we are running away from a Lebanon increasingly in crisis. Entire families and individuals are fleeing. Not always and not only Lebanese. For years, the land of cedars has welcomed crowded refugee camps with Palestinians and Syrians inside. They are all involved in the financial, economic and social crisis that has afflicted the nation for at least three years and which is reducing at least two thirds of families to a state of poverty.
Last December, the Information International research center , based in Beirut, estimated that at least 200,000 people have left from all over Lebanon in the last two years . From the capital to Bekka, passing through the south of the country, we reach the coasts of Tripoli , the northern city of the same name in the Libyan capital, and from there we leave for Europe.
Until now, Cyprus was the most sought after destination. The reason is obvious: the geographical proximity between the island and the Lebanese coasts has always allowed faster crossings than other routes. But now the situation is changing. Beirut media, in particular, have given wide prominence to some testimonies of Lebanese refugees who wanted to reach Italy. And, again among the local media, there would be more and more people eager to lengthen the navigation and try to land along the Italian coasts.
The witnesses heard by the Lebanese media spoke of boats bound for Italy, but then turned to Greece “by the European coast guard”. Probably the reference is to some ship of the Frontex agency operating between the central and eastern Mediterranean . It is possible that the military have ordered the migrants to continue their journey to Italy, inviting them to change course.
It is also possible to hypothesize that the boats were diverted to Greece due to the very close relations between the Greek and Cypriot authorities. The migrants could therefore be directed to the island, whose government, due to the large influx of Lebanese in recent years, has made agreements with Beirut for faster repatriation. Why Lebanese migrants are now focusing on Italy
In any case, the testimonies reported by the Lebanese media, also accompanied by some videos, speak of an Italy that is increasingly popular. And no wonder. Given the agreements between Cyprus and Lebanon, migrants today can hardly intend to land on an island from which the risk of being immediately repatriated is high.
At the same time, the route that leads from the eastern Mediterranean coasts to Italy has already been busy for years. It is so in those journeys that have their starting point in the Turkish coasts, but in any case in Lebanon they have already had the opportunity to see that heading straight towards our country is not impossible.
After all, in recent years, hundreds of Bengalis, Syrians and Afghans have landed along our peninsula starting from Turkey and therefore “skipping” Greece. At the moment, the Interior Ministry does not report important numbers from Lebanon. Looking at the list of nationalities most represented by migrants arriving in Italy, the Lebanese one is missing from the top ten. But immigration from Beirut may only be at the beginning.
This is also confirmed by some operations by the Lebanese police. On 7 June, local authorities arrested 64 people ready to embark . Several of them have indicated in Italy the destination they want to reach if they managed to set sail.
