Under the still-scorching late-September sun, two men walk along the road from the CAS, the extraordinary reception center, to Monastir. They are some of the residents of the former prison police school, which for 12 years has welcomed some of the migrants arriving in Sardinia. Since June, when a hotspot was established at the facility, it has been creating significant security concerns.
The moods
The latest serious incident dates back to Thursday, when a group of local youths organized a punitive raid against four Algerians for insults they suffered in a bar. "I'm not racist, but it would be good if they were sent back to their country," commented a Monastir resident. "We're forced to watch our backs at home, especially at certain times of the day: we host them, and they commit crimes. By harassing people on the street, even just verbally, they demonstrate a total lack of respect and a great deal of stupidity," explained a woman further ahead as she unloaded her shopping bags from her car. "When my daughter encounters them on the street, she changes her route for fear of being bothered or worse. Seeing them drive around undisturbed while we fear that something irreparable will happen at any moment is unbearable," said a man intercepted on Via Progresso, between the post office and the town hall. The building from which Mayor Paola Ugas, elected in June 2025, is trying to address the emergency as best she can.
The management
"Monastir has become a migrant town," the mayor emphasizes disconsolately: "We've been reporting the situation to the Prefecture for 15 months. They haven't left us alone, but we're concerned about the social situation: the residents feel like they're being invaded; out of less than 5,000 inhabitants, 800 more are making themselves felt. Thursday's episode must be condemned, but it's symptomatic of the unease and intolerance for a situation we're totally enduring." On the way to the CAS (Refugee and Refugee Agency), in Monastir's industrial zone, the mayor points out "the waste migrants leave behind and the damage to the town's image: businessmen come here and ask questions, and if they were planning to invest, they reconsider." Meanwhile, two more men appear on the horizon, returning to the CAS. From here, the facility's residents move out into the surrounding area: proceeding along the San Gemiliano road, where the center is located, leads, for example, straight to Sestu.
On the territory
"The problem doesn't stop at the center's gates: Sestu doesn't formally host the facility, but it directly suffers its effects," explains Mayor Michele Cossa. "To get here, they travel along the San Gemiliano road, where many girls play sports. Some guests at the Monastir center have engaged in inappropriate behavior with these girls. It's unacceptable. The sense of insecurity is devastating the country, forcing us to change our habits." The solution? "We need more controls, stable coordination between the Prefecture, law enforcement, and the affected municipalities, and adequate protection of the center to free up personnel to patrol nearby areas, involving the Army if necessary," adds Sestu's mayor. "We're waiting for the Prefecture to convene a meeting to address the issue. I don't want to fuel alarmism or generalize, but the problems must be addressed before they escalate, especially because organized patrols are gaining ground, and it's extremely dangerous."