Frontex launches operation "Hermes" on Lampedusa (Update)

(updated Tuesday) 4 planes, 2 helicopters, 2 boats and around thirty experts on the ground. The European border surveillance agency (Frontex), based in Warsaw, has just launched the “Hermes 2011” operation intended to come to the aid of the Italian authorities who must face an influx of refugees.

Around thirty experts from France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Romania, Malta, Sweden, Switzerland will participate in this operation. Italy provides naval and air assets. The rest of the air assets are provided by France, Germany, the Netherlands, Malta, theSpain. " If necessary, more men and resources may be made available in the coming weeks. clarified, in Brussels2, an expert on the matter.

The operation has started Sunday with the deployment of experts responsible for debriefing and screening. Their task will essentially be to collect information and its analysis, in order to “ formulate hypotheses regarding the nationalities of migrants, enable early detection and prevention of possible criminal activities at the EU's external borders » indicates the Frontex Agency. The next step will see the provision of assistance to organize return to countries of origin. This mission is only one part of the European effort said Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, which includes “ cooperation with the Tunisian authorities, identification of emergency financial envelopes and assistance by Europol ». The costs are covered by the Community budget of Frontex.

We can indeed have some doubts about the sudden arrival of these refugees. Around 6000 refugees from North Africa arrived in Italy last month, mainly from Tunisia (including 3000 since February 11, while only 14 had arrived in 2011 before this date). And it seems necessary to identify the source of this provenance. Some people are looking in particular towards Libya (which has always supported the Ben Ali regime). The flow of immigration from the south had dried up to the point that Malta decided, at the beginning of February, not to participate (for the second year in a row) in Operation “Nautilus” which saw joint maritime patrols in the central Mediterranean.