Fatima was born on Lampedusa this week. Her mother, from Ivory Coast, was among 43 people rescued off the Pelagian islands by the coast guard. Hours earlier, two-year-old Rokia, had died following a shipwreck.
Only a few days old, baby Fatima has already become a symbol of new life on Lampedusa, one of Italy's Pelagian islands. Until this week, no babies had been delivered for more than 50 years on the small island, which lacks obstetric health facilities.
Tears of joy were shed by those on board the Italian coast guard's Cp324 cutter who helped the young Ivorian woman give birth on Monday, December 19. Just a few hours earlier, there had been rage and despair, when two-year-old Rokia, also from Ivory Coast, died.
Born on board coast guard vessel
In total 43 people, including three minors who had fled Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso, were rescued off Lampedusa on Monday. The coast guard vessel with its rescued passengers was still docking at the Favarolo pier when Fatima came into the world, at 10:30 pm.
The birth was attended by medical personnel from Palermo's health district ASP, the office of maritime, air and border health USMAF and emergency responders. Mother and baby were then transferred to the island's health clinic in the Grecale district and later taken by helicopter to a hospital in the Sicilian city of Agrigento, for a regular postnatal hospitalization.
Investigation into Rokia's death
Fatima's birth came just hours after the death of a toddler, Rokia, whose family was also from Ivory Coast. The two-year-old died on December 18 at Lampedusa's health clinic, after the boat on which she was travelling capsized and sank some 16 kilometers off the coast. The vessel had departed from Tunisia with 43 people on board, including Rokia and her mother.
Rokia died despite repeated attempts to resuscitate her. Medical staff were able to save a two-year-old boy who was also on board, however. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the shipwreck against unknown suspects on charges including supporting "illegal immigration".
The local mobile squad police have started questioning migrants who were on the boat. They are trying to determine why the vessel capsized and whether smugglers were on board.
According to the prosecutor, what has so far emerged from the investigation is that "human traffickers use boats built with metal sheets that are extremely unstable for these 'journeys of hope'."
Baby who died on December 4 buried near Agrigento
Another six-month-old girl died on December 4 at a hotspot where she had been taken a few days earlier after landing on Lampedusa with her mother. The cause of death has not been determined.
The little girl appeared in good health when she arrived and she was taken to an initial reception facility. Her body was transferred to Porto Empedocle, in Sicily, on December 20, together with that of a woman who drowned off the island. Both were laid to rest in the town of Favara, near Agrigento.