The story of a group of 25 Tunisians - including 4 women and a minor - intercepted at dawn by the financiers of the "Sottile" patrol boat in the waters off Lampedusa confirms that illegal immigration routes are no longer just for smugglers , but that migrants are now organizing themselves to leave North Africa also with "do-it-yourself" journeys of hope.
" We bought the boat (a 7-metre iron punt with an outboard motor, ed.)," the Tunisians told the rescuers. He added: "We collected the money and paid 45,000 dinars (almost 14,000 euros, ed.) to take the boat and 10 20-litre cans of fuel."
All migrants who are rescued or blocked are asked - part of the procedure - the place of departure and the cost of the trip. Until now, the disembarked people have always reported having paid from a minimum of one thousand up to 4 thousand dinars for the crossing organized by the smugglers.
But these new statements, if confirmed, highlight a new aspect of the phenomenon: in Tunisia, the locals are also able to organize and set sail independently for Sicily.
(Unioneonline/lf)
