Twenty refugees have arrived in Italy, landing at Rome's Fiumicino Airport after being evacuated from detention camps in Libya through a humanitarian corridor. They were welcomed by the Community of Sant'Egidio, the association ARCI, and other organizations.
Twenty refugees on Tuesday (September 3) landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a flight from Libya. Most of them had been evacuated from detention camps in Libya where they had stayed for a long period of time and were severely abused.
Among the group are several children who were born in Libya and will be hosted alongside their families. The refugees come from various countries, including Togo, Chad, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Myanmar.
They will be hosted across different Italian regions and, according to a consolidated model regarding humanitarian corridors, they will be immediately enrolled in integration programs: minors will start attending school and adults will learn Italian and be helped find a job.
Two families, totaling nine people, will be hosted by the Sant'Egidio Community in Rome and the town of Riace in Calabria. Another family of seven will be supported by the Italian Association for Social Promotion, ARCI, and four individuals will be accommodated by the national SAI hosting system.
Also read: Syrian refugees from Lebanon arrive in Italy with Humanitarian Corridors
Agreement for 1,500 refugees in three years
Their arrival in Italy was made possible by the protocol signed last December by the ministries of the interior and foreign affairs, the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, ARCI, the Community of Sant'Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches and the National Institute for the Promotion of Health of Migrant Populations and for Fight against the Diseases of Poverty (INMP).
The protocol will allow 1,500 refugees in need of international protection to be evacuated from Libya to Italy in three years.
Also read: More humanitarian corridors to Rome from Cyprus and Pakistan