A total of 58 Syrian refugees landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport on March 30 with a flight from Beirut, Lebanon. Among the refugees, who were welcomed in a dedicated area at the airport, were 24 minors, including some who need medical treatment and who have lived for a long time in refugee camps in Lebanon or in precarious accommodation on the outskirts of Beirut.

The refugees were welcomed by representatives of the humanitarian corridors initiative: Marco Impagliazzo, president of the Community of Sant’Egidio; Marta Bernardini, coordinator of the migrants program of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI); Manuela Vinay on behalf of the Valdensian Table; Valerio Valenti, head of the Department of Civil Liberties and Integration of the interior ministry; Luigi Maria Vignali, the director general for Italians abroad and migration policies of the foreign ministry.

Since 2016 nearly 2,500 people have reached Italy from Lebanon

The group of 58 Syrian refugees mainly included families who have endured a deterioration of living conditions over the past few months due to the country’s dire political, economic and social crisis.

They were able to reach Italy thanks to the humanitarian corridors promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy and the Valdensian Table, in agreement with the interior and foreign ministries, which since February 2016 have taken to Italy 2,486 people from Lebanon alone.

Overall, more than 6,000 refugees are said to have reached Europe through humanitarian corridors. 

The families will be hosted in different Italian regions where their integration will be promoted by enrolling minors in local schools and adults in Italian-language courses. Once they obtain the status of refugee, the adults will reportedly be helped join the workforce.

Arrival of 15 asylum seekers from camps in Greece

On the same day (Thursday, March 30), 15 asylum seekers from Iraq, Somalia and Congo travelled to Rome after living in camps in Greece. Some of them have serious medical conditions.

This latest arrival completed the quota set by the protocol of agreement between the charity Sant’Egidio and the Italian government which allowed the arrival through humanitarian corridors of 300 people, in addition to the 70 rescued after Pope Francis visited Lesbos.

"This is a legal and human response," said Impagliazzo. "Vulnerable people who have fled the war in Syria and who have lived for years in refugee camps, find a welcome and integration in our country."

Impagliazzo went on to say that "these humanitarian corridors represent legal pathways, the few that exist, to come to Europe. It is therefore necessary to implement them" and to "increase" their number to "prevent people from relying on human traffickers," he added.