Chiara Nava Migrant arrivals on Sardinia's coast are increasing, and pressure on reception and identification facilities is growing. A total of 132 migrants have arrived on the island in the last few hours , many of them from Algeria aboard small boats. This situation is fueling concerns among law enforcement and union representatives, especially in the Cagliari area.
The latest arrivals include over 60 people disembarked in Sulcis and another 23 intercepted at sea by the Guardia di Finanza and escorted to Cagliari's Porto Canale. The number of people present between the CAS and the Monastir hotspot, just outside the capital, is now estimated to be approaching 1,000.
Stone-throwing at police: Tensions and assaults in central Monastir
The situation inside the facilities is described as increasingly complex. In the last few hours, a stabbing occurred between two groups of migrants . The injured person reportedly sought protection by approaching the police officers present on the scene. The reaction of the other participants in the altercation, however, reportedly further escalated the tension: rocks were thrown at the officers, damaging a service car and offices.
" At this point, we are calling for the immediate closure of Monastir ," said Massimo Vargiu , provincial secretary of the SIULP police union, arguing that the facility is no longer adequate for the situation. According to the union representative, incidents of self-harm, fights, and stone-throwing have contributed to an increasingly difficult situation to manage.
The request to strengthen controls on the Algerian route
Brothers of Italy MP Salvatore Deidda also weighed in on the issue , announcing an urgent question to the Interior and Defense Ministers. According to the MP, the route between Algeria and Sardinia is now a structural flow , requiring a specific response and cannot be considered merely a temporary phenomenon. Deidda called for greater involvement of Frontex in monitoring the Algerian-Sardinian region and for targeted deployment of Navy assets, in collaboration with the police.
The MP also focused on repatriations , arguing that the possibility of carrying them out directly from Sardinia should be considered, avoiding transferring people to repatriation centers on the mainland before expulsion. The increase in arrivals and the difficulties encountered in Monastir's facilities thus bring the management of the Algerian route and the island's ability to address a phenomenon that, according to authorities and police unions, has become structural.