NGOs are a logistical boon for human traffickers from Africa. Secret Service report
In 2022 irregular immigration to Italy was characterized by a marked increase in flows on all sea and land routes. What the Department of Information Security's Annual Information Security Policy Report says
"Although during 2022 the most significant increase in sea rescue activity concerned the operations of the institutional device (for example Frontex, Coast Guard, Guardia di Finanza), there was also an increase in sea rescue carried out by OnG ships, mainly in the Libyan SAR area. SAR activities are often advertised on social networks by facilitators of irregular immigration as a guarantee of greater security for the journey to Europe. In this context, the presence of SAR canals, in fact, represents a logistical advantage for the criminal organizations that manage the traffic of migrants, allowing them to adjust the modus operandi according to the possibility of reducing the quality of the boats used, correlatively increasing profits illicit, but exposing the people on board to a more concrete risk of shipwreck".
It is one of the passages contained in the Annual Report on Information Security Policy of the Department of Information Security, in the chapter on illegal immigration.
Here is the full chapter:
Multiple and recurring medium-long term factors, such as political instability, armed conflicts, extreme climate change and strong demographic pressure, have contributed to keeping the pressure of irregular migratory flows towards the Italy and Europe, mainly from Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
In addition, further events of a more contingent nature, such as the adverse effects of the pandemic and, more recently, of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the economy of many countries, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (where the shortage in wheat supplies adds to the fears of a worsening of living conditions), have led to a significant increase in irregular migratory flows compared to 2021.
Even the consequences of climate change, which increasingly manifest themselves with extreme meteorological events, accentuate the resurgence of irregular immigration both from some African regions (Sahel and Horn of Africa) and from some Asian countries, starting with Bangladesh, the third nationality declared upon landing on our shores.
With particular reference to the main areas of humanitarian crisis (Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine), which have contributed to fueling the migratory pressure on our country (albeit sometimes in terms different from that generated by irregular immigration), the monitoring action is it is concentrated on the possible infiltration of contraindicated subjects in the flows of refugees entering the national territory.
In general, in relation to the complexity of the irregular migration phenomenon and the preeminent objective of national security, the Intelligence's attention focused on the analysis of the main routes and directions of irregular immigration, on the activism of traffickers and facilitators – including the profile of false documents – which, individually or in association, fuel irregular transfers to Italy and Europe.
Similar attention was paid to possible infiltrations of extremists in migratory flows, although no indicators of a structured use of irregular immigration channels for terrorist purposes emerged.
Activism of criminal networks
The central Mediterranean route, characterized by flows originating mainly from the Libyan and Tunisian coasts, is confirmed as the main route of transfer by sea of irregular migrants to Italy. In Libya, the first country of departure on this route, the presence of structured criminal networks with transnational projections, especially attested in Zuwarah, Az Zawiyah and Sabratah, represents one of the main factors facilitating irregular immigration towards our coasts and is one of the causes of the sharp increase in migratory pressure by sea observed in 2022, with an extremely flexible offer of "services" for irregular migrants capable of quickly adapting both to the political-security framework and to the seasonality of weather and sea conditions. The illegal management of the migratory phenomenon ensures, moreover, an economic return often also for the less well-off strata of society, making its eradication extremely complex.
The consistent presence in Libya of Egyptian migrants, the first nationality declared upon landing on the Italian coasts, is attributable to a number of factors including, not least, the existence of stable connections between traffickers established in Libya and Egypt. The existence of coordination between traffickers active in the West and East of the country also appears to be relevant, with particular reference to the influx of Egyptians, as well as between Libyan criminal networks and recruiters/facilitators from the countries of origin and transit of migrants. Links have also been found between Libyan criminal groups attested in Az Zuwarah and Tunisian traffickers active mainly in Sfax (Tunisia). Such a framework of transnational operational synergies makes it possible to manage the entire chain of irregular immigration in a flexible way, from the countries of origin to the places of embarkation.
Although the majority of crossings originate from the coasts west of Tripoli, often with a stopover in Cyrenaica to embark other migrants, during 2022 there was a growing upsurge in departures directly from Cyrenaica, attributable, in the first place, to the strengthening of local criminals and the greater Egyptian migratory demand. The peculiarity of this last route is the use of particularly capacious "barges", able to reach the Italian coasts autonomously even with adverse weather conditions, thus facilitating the crossings even in the winter months, which are usually less favorable to such movements .
From Tunisia, the second country of origin of flows by sea to Italy, as well as the second nationality declared upon landing on the national territory, the migratory drive is increasing compared to 2021 (+ 60%) mainly due to the ongoing economic and social crisis and the geographical proximity to the Italian coasts. This flow remains characterized by a predominantly indigenous nature, although there is a growing presence, both in absolute and percentage terms, of sub-Saharans, often present in the country for some time.
Irregular immigration is managed by predominantly autochthonous, unstructured criminal groups, sometimes active in the fishing sector, dedicated to the management of a wide range of criminal activities ranging from facilitation of illegal immigration, tobacco smuggling, substance trafficking drugs and hydrocarbons. In this regard, during 2022, some criminal associations made up of Tunisian and Italian citizens involved in various illicit trafficking including aiding and abetting irregular immigration also came to the attention of the Intelligence.
The flows entering Tunisia from neighboring countries are confirmed from the West (Algeria), in coexistence with the trafficking of mineral oils, drugs and other goods, and from the South-East (Libya).
The boats used by the facilitators are, differently from the Libyan case, mainly smaller vessels, less resistant and capacious, but fast and therefore difficult to identify, which sometimes determine the cc.dd. "ghost landings", eluding the national control mechanism.
Irregular immigration
In 2022, irregular immigration to Italy was characterized, compared to the previous year, by a marked increase in flows on all sea and land routes. Our country, in line with previous years, continues to prove to be the main gateway and transit point for irregular migrants in the European Union.
This phenomenon, analyzed in a holistic perspective that includes multiple long and medium-short term push and pull factors, is also markedly facilitated by a criminal activism – of an associative or individual nature – present on all migratory routes capable of creating a huge economic induced which makes the related prevention and contrast activities more difficult.
Finally, the current areas of humanitarian crisis and socio-political instability continue to push a significant number of people to emigrate in search of better living conditions.
On the eastern Mediterranean route, the second migratory option by sea in terms of consistency of flows after the central Mediterranean route, departures take place mainly from Turkey – a crossroads also for transits to Europe along the Balkan route and, together with Libya, one of the largest basins of migrants and refugees – as well as, in the last year, from Lebanon. During 2022, Lebanon, due to the serious national economic and financial situation, became the new starting country. On the eastern Mediterranean sea route, where the increasing trend of the flow towards the coasts of Calabria, Puglia and Sicily is confirmed, various types of boats are used, mainly sailing and pleasure boats, which feed the cc.dd. “covert landings”.
Also in this case, the migratory phenomenon finds an important support in the activism of criminal organizations dedicated to aiding irregular immigration, mainly Kurds and Pakistanis, with bases of logistical support in the main countries of origin and transit of migrants, whose transnational nature it makes the law enforcement activity complex, as well as the use, which has become a practice, of the web and social networks by the associations themselves to advertise trips and related services.
On the Balkan land route, characterized by a high number of traces of irregular migrants, especially on the Italian-Slovenian border, pass not only Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Afghans, Indians and Nepalese, but also subjects of North African origin.
This heterogeneity corresponds to an equally varied criminal reality, mainly composed of micro groups and individual facilitators with a low organizational profile, which simplify the transfer of migrants in relation to single circumscribed sections. The "morphological" characteristics of the route, completely terrestrial, allows irregular migrants to travel it sometimes even independently and with lower costs, without necessarily having to turn to traffickers. In Serbia, which together with Bosnia-Herzegovina is the main junction of this route, the presence of traffickers originating in the countries of migrants not only favors the migratory flow, but creates an informal economy, often a source of livelihood for the less well-off strata of the local population.
The significant increase in the flow of Bangladeshi migrants, present on all sea and land routes and third nationalities declared upon entry/transit in Italy, is also facilitated by the presence of criminal organizations, including transnational ones, mainly dedicated to facilitating the illegal entry of compatriots.
Rescue at Sea (SAR) activity in the Mediterranean
Although during 2022 the most significant increase in sea rescue activity concerned the operations of the institutional device (for example Frontex, Coast Guard, Guardia di Finanza), there was also an increase in sea rescue carried out by ships OnG, mainly in the Libyan SAR area. SAR activities are often advertised on social networks by facilitators of irregular immigration as a guarantee of greater security for the journey to Europe. In this context, the presence of SAR canals, in fact, represents a logistical advantage for the criminal organizations that manage the traffic of migrants, allowing them to adjust the modus operandi according to the possibility of reducing the quality of the boats used, correlatively increasing profits illicit, but exposing the people on board to a more concrete risk of shipwreck.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/ong-immigrazione-irregolare-italia-sicurezza-nazionale/ on Wed, 01 Mar 2023 13:41:37 +0000.