650 migrants have been welcomed throughout the province of Sassari, 36 in the last three months in the Turritan capital alone. These are some of the data communicated this morning, in the Isgrò Hall of the Episcopio, by the prefect Paola Dessì and the archbishop Monsignor Gianfranco Saba.
A meeting intended to take stock of the situation and express the synergy between the prefecture and the archdiocese of Sassari. "The diocese - reports the prefect - ensured places for minors and adults in a very short time, allowing us to deal with what was defined as an emergency by a civil protection ordinance". The help comes providential. «Because the expressions of interest, i.e. the contracts announced by us in 2023, three for adult reception centers and two for minors, were all deserted». Except for the last one which is still underway, explains Paola Dessì.
The agreement with the archdiocese was launched on 26 July and, in the meantime, in the spaces vacated by the Capuchin friars in Sassari, 31 migrants have arrived, all from Africa, to which will be added the 5 expected for this evening. Divided into two CAS, the one for minors, with 25 children between 14 and 17 years old, while the other sees 13 women, 5 of whom are pregnant, and 10 minors between one year and 9 years of age. «Meanwhile, we give them human assistance – explains Monsignor Saba – then food, board, accommodation and the work of Caritas of Sassari with its cultural mediators, doctors and psychologists».
The archbishop adds regarding the emergency: «No one is able to give exhaustive answers to something that goes beyond us. It's not about heroic acts but about sensitivity and attention given to people who face death to get here." Meanwhile, arrivals on the island continue and 30 migrants from the Balkan route are expected soon.
