Italy’s Controversial Migration Camps in Albania Face Delays

Italy's controversial plan to build detention camps in Albania for sea-migrants faces delays. Initially slated for an Aug. 1 launch by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the initiative is postponed due to extreme weather conditions in Albania. Opposition parties and human rights groups strongly criticize the $722.19 million project.

Italy's controversial plan to establish detention camps in Albania for migrants intercepted at sea has encountered delays, a source close to the project disclosed on Thursday, noting it was several weeks behind schedule. The inauguration, initially set for August 1 by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, now faces an indefinite postponement.

According to the source, who spoke anonymously due to a lack of authorization, the delay is partly attributable to Albania's extreme weather, which is curtailing construction. Last week, cabinet undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, a close aide to Meloni, was cited in Italian media stating the opening would be delayed by "a few weeks."

Meloni's right-wing government signed the deal with Albania last year with the goal of processing approximately 36,000 migrants annually via two facilities in Shengjin and Gjader. The plan has received substantial opposition from both political and human rights groups, drawing comparisons to a similar, but now-abandoned, agreement between Britain and Rwanda. Amnesty International condemned the project this week, calling it a "stain on the Italian government."

(With inputs from agencies.)