Refugee ship not what it seemed

The case of 37 African immigrants who waited weeks on a ship in the Mediterranean in hopes of asylum in Europe took a strange turn after Italian authorities finally admitted them, then arrested two relief workers, and indicated some immigrants lied about coming from Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region.

The developments came after days of debate among Italy, German, Malta and aid groups over who should take in the immigrants, who had been aboard a ship run by Cap Anamur aid agency since June 20.

The German group said some identified themselves as refugees from Darfur, which the United Nations has described as suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Under pressure, Italy agreed to let the ship dock on Monday near this city on Sicily’s southern coast. The first reactions were joy from the immigrants and from various groups that had demanded they be allowed into Italy.

“Finally, humanity wins,” the Vatican newspaper said in a front-page headline.

Hours later, the situation had changed. Police said in a statement: “From the first checks it has actually emerged that they are not of Sudanese nationality, but on the contrary appear to be Ghanaian and Nigerian.”

Police added that they had arrested three men – the captain, Stefan Schmidt, the German organisation’s head, Elias Bierdel, and a member of the crew – for allegedly aiding illegal immigration.

Cap Anamur official Bernd Goeken in Germany expressed dismay, saying it was against previous arrangements made between the group and Italy. “The Italians held themselves to nothing,” he said.

The Cap Anamur aid group is better known outside the country as German Emergency Doctors Union. Started in 1979 to help Vietnam’s refugees, the agency has expanded its operations and runs projects in Afghanistan and African countries.

Goeken said in a telephone interview from headquarters in Cologne that the organisation came across the 37 men by chance on June 20. One of its ships had just finished dropping off supplies in Africa and was on its way back to Germany when it experienced engine problems and stopped in Malta.

As it was testing the engines, it found the refugees in a broken-down boat near the Italian island of Lampedusa.

“The boat was in danger and the engine was broken,” Goeken said. “Water was flooding all over the boat and they were calling on us to help so we took them on board.

“When we rescued these people it was really not planned but our intention is to work on this problem and tell the European people that many Africans are trying to get to Europe and are dying on the seas,” he said.

The refugees had been on their small boat for three days, then spent three weeks on the Cap Anamur.

“Mentally for them it was very stressful, and some said that they might jump into the sea because they couldn’t take the pressure,” Goeken said.

The 37 Africans, who were transported to a holding centre in this city, were expected to apply for asylum in Italy. Italy may deport them if the requests are turned down.

Thousands of illegal immigrants arrive in Italy every year, often hoping to travel to other European Union countries. Many tragedies have occurred when rickety immigrant boats sank before reaching the long Italian coastline.