The “Malta Today” newspaper said that “criminal groups” use charter flights operated by “Sham Wings” between Damascus and Benghazi to smuggle people from Bangladesh and Syria to Libya, and then assign them to “the dangerous sea crossing to Europe,” as she said.
The newspaper added that hundreds of Bengali immigrants are being smuggled on board charter flights to Libya, where they board boats to reach Europe, according to “intelligence information,” as described by the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, “criminal groups” charge 1,500 euros per migrant for transportation between Damascus in Syria and Benghazi in Libya, using flights operated by the Syrian “Cham Wings” company.
The newspaper reported that the migrants are then transferred in Libya to boats that embark on the “risky” journey across the Mediterranean in an attempt to reach Italy.
Benghazi, the transit gate
The newspaper says that the city of Benghazi is the only entry point by air used by “criminal networks” that adopt this method of transporting migrants, according to her.
According to the newspaper: There are no proper border control checks in Benghazi, where officers check passports and record names in a notebook.
The newspaper reported that after landing and crossing the airport, the migrants are handed over to the private smuggler with the aim of sending them to a safe house before the immigration process, according to the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, some migrants travel immediately upon their arrival in the eastern region towards Europe, despite the risks, while others prefer to travel to the western region to choose a shorter and less dangerous sea journey towards Europe.
Italy accuses Wagner
In the context of talking about immigration from Libya, the Italian Foreign Ministry had considered that Libya and Tunisia come first as gateways for migrants to cross into it.
In the same context, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani accused the Russian Wagner Group of doing something that supports immigration flows to Europe, especially to Italy, he said.
Taiani pointed to the presence of parties that facilitate the flows of migrants and a series of contributors that risk causing an explosion of the situation, stressing that his country is studying and evaluating the situation in the region, according to what was reported by the Italian Aki.
The International Organization for Migration had revealed an increase in the flow of migrants coming from eastern Libya to Italy, saying: There is a sharp increase in the number of departures from Cyrenaica, according to the Italian news agency Nova.
Source: Malta Today + Aki Agency + Nova Agency