After watching Aljazeera, My father remarked ‘they have money to buy guns, but not food’.
He was referring to Somalia.
Most of the immigrants who arrive in Malta are from that region. On March 24 of 1994, Ilaria Alpi, a journalist for TG3, together with her cameraman, Milan Hrovatin, was killed in Mogadishu.
On the scene of the crime, there were two other journalists present, from the ABC and the RTSI. They would be found dead some time after.
According to some reports, Ilaria was investigating an illicit international traffic of toxic and radioactive waste that industrial countries were sending to the poor countries of Africa, in exchange of money and weapons. Possible, the weapons came from Rome, Brescia and Turin.
It is not that far-fetched to assume that the Mafia and influential political figures were involved.
Italy is after all a country, which after the fall of Facism gave rise to the P2, a Masonic lodge (which provided Silvio Berlusconi with a launching pad), and the Christian Democratic party, which relationship with the Mafia have become quite infamously known.
Giancarlo Marocchino, a 50 something Italian exile in Somalia for tax evasion, was suspected by the U.S. intelligence to have got rich by trafficking weapons.
It is believed that the ‘weapons confiscated by the Italian military were sold to Giancarlo who then reconditioned them and sold them back on the streets.’
Apart from this, during the 1980s Giancarlo was one of the main beneficiaries from a scam organized by the Italian government of Benito Craxi. And seriously, why would a westerner choose Somalia as his home? Love?
He is married to a Somali woman and lives in the Northern part of Mogadishu.
This post is not intended to be on Ilaria, but rather on the darker side of Immigration.
It is evident that the problem of immigration that we have is related to the crisis that exists in the region. Repatriation happens and it happens fast when there is no problem with the country of origin. This should be clear even to the stupid far-right person (or new-right whatever).
Also, Malta has the DAR programme, a voluntary repatriation scheme. In the past 15 months it has repatriated 70 immigrants. Going through Tonio Borg press releases is like a diabetic being forced to eat sugar. It kills you. Nonetheless, putting aside the corny self-glorified wording of Borg, we understood that Malta works differently from other countries when it comes to repatriation.
Instead of providing the countries of origin with aid; Malta gives money to the migrant with the idea to set his/her own business at home. From what we understood, those who ‘kept in contact’ with Malta did manage to start out something – salon, taxi company, selling mobiles … One way of seeing it is of ‘buying out their repatriation’. The government sees it as a way to improve the entrepreneurial community; as far as I can tell, if this manages to improve the African continent then all well and good.
However, Borg fails to tell us whether repatriation of Somali ever happened. I doubt it though. Sending them back to Somalia (and Eriteria) is like sending them a death sentence. And even so, is it wise to give Somali man money, when there is no structure in place to start out nothing, let alone a business?
The only thing that can actually start out is more illegal operation.
I doubt that this government is so dumb to do so.
It is evident that the problem of Somalia is its current situation. With no central government; where are the funds suppose to?
Thus, it is not even a question of sending money. Even so, it is no secret that African governments have in the past used these funds for their own greedy interests rather to improve the situation of their people. Needless to say, that monitoring and transparency should be a must.
Smugglers, shrewd businessmen and warlords see the current civil war as big business opportunity. Thus, I hardly see an end to it. It is in their interest to perpetuate poverty so as to have an access to an endless supply of militia. No one fights with his belly full.
It is also obvious that the status quo in Somalia is supported by even darker forces which operate from Europe and in the Middle-East; all of whom are ready to sacrifice humanity on the altar of capital.
The first solution is to cut the lines of smuggling. Easier said than done and from the few sources that I brought together, it seems that it is tough. However, Watergate and Tangentopoli are examples of how great powers came to their knees with well placed intelligence.
Otherwise, I can’t see how, the immigration problem can be solved without looking at it in a holistic manner and take action accordingly. I think that since most parties have grown out from its ideologies skins (without actually compromising their own values) and moved towards a more pragmatic centre, this should provide continuation for in tackling the problem of immigration.
‘Don’t mess with me’ said the mean penguin sporting an anti-censorship t-shirt
