They land boat patched up, soaked to the bone. Trembling, exhausted by long hours and grueling journey, but the smile from ear to ear. On Lampedusa, a small piece of land lost to the Italian middle of the Mediterranean, Tunisian immigrants, Egyptian and Libyan pile up, forcing the Europeans to look differently, probably a bit less exalted, the revolts that shake all plans up across the Mediterranean.
In recent weeks, more than 7000 Tunisian illegal migrants - men between 20 and 30 years, mostly - have crossed the narrow strip of sea between Lampedusa their country, this parcel of Europe located 400 km south of Sicily and 200 km from the Maghreb.
The mayor of Lampedusa has ordered their placement in detention centers. Most of them do not spend their days locked up yet.Every day, they span the barriers surrounding the center to sit in one of the cafes of the Via Roma, main street of Lampedusa.
No work, no hope
Walid, a young 22 year old Tunisian native of Tatooine, a few miles of Djerba, landed three days ago after a journey of twenty hours in the choppy waters of the Mediterranean. His trip was rather short: the boats are sometimes three days to reach the coast of the island.
Throughout the trip, the boat was battered, buffeted by gusts of wind. Last week, the same swell prevented the crossings."The water kept from splashing into the hull and we have used our shirts to plug the holes in the boat," says Walid.
Like most Tunisians of Lampedusa, the young man does not plan to stay long in the area. His goal: Pantin, outside Paris. There, parents are waiting.
When asked if the departure of Ben Ali gave him hope, Walid shrugs and replies: "Not for me." The answer is the same for the dozens of migrants sipping a coffee bar outside Rome. All speak fluent French and a few words of Italian. "These are all the same", for his part said Scandar, referring to the new Tunisian authorities."They got rid of the boss, but not thugs."
As Scandar, Salim comes from the coastal town of Zarzis in eastern Tunisia. One of his neighbors had been killed during the recent riots that rocked the country. "You feel less safe there. And there is no work for people like us", he said. Unemployment and job insecurity that may be encountered in Europe do not scare him. Because it "can not be worse than in Tunisia," he swears.
Salim and his fellow travelers seeking to learn how to reach France and that the trip may cost them. They are confident.According to them, the Italian authorities will get them on the mainland, then let them go.
Objective: To reach the mainland
Indeed, flights to the north resumed. For, once again, the Lampedusa holding center is saturated. Its director, Cono Callipo, says 250 migrants are currently en route to the mainland, where the Italian authorities will determine if they are applying for political asylum or not. "If they are simply looking for work, they will eventually be returned to their country," he says.
The Italian authorities are assisted by a host of humanitarian workers, omnipresent in Lampedusa. Emiliano Cadeddu is one of them.A native of Sardinia, he strives to provide first aid to migrants aboard Coast Guard vessels. He does not eat a lot of hope when the ambitions of young men he sees scroll. "I wash, I feed, I look after them, but in the end I got them back," cried he.
In Lampedusa, all Tunisians do not fit the country against their will. A small boat flanked by the Tunisian flag is part of the port this morning. On board, six fishermen who had found refuge on the Italian coast of the island after suffering a storm three days ago.
"We go home now," says Mohamed, the master, by swallowing a share of Panettone. "There are hopeful now that Ben is gone.Nobody is afraid to talk. "
Mohammed and his men do not understand why so many of their countrymen fleeing Tunisia. When he utters these words, a new boat is looming on the horizon, its board, dozens of immigrants determined to stay at any price this side of the Mediterranean.
