Italy

500 soldiers to be deployed to troubled Naples region

Article published on the 2008-09-23 Latest update 2008-09-23 15:20 TU

Police face demostrators in Castelvolturno, near Naples
(Photo: AFP )

The Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday the deployment of 500 soldiers to a troubled area of Naples after two attacks in the area killed seven people last week. The killings were purportedly carried out by the Camorra, the local mafia. An Italian owner of a gambling hall and six African nationals died in the attack. Police made their first arrest in the case on Monday.

This decision by the Italian government is presented as part of their policy of heavier controls on illegal immigration.

Some 200 African immigrants in Castel Volturno staged a protest on Friday against what they describe as targeted attacks against the African immigrant population. Some of the protesters broke car windows and overturned cars.

Castel Volturno and Caserta are the two regions outside of Naples where migrants from Liberia, Togo and Ghana were killed last Thursday, all between the ages of 25 and 34.

Italian police said that they suspected a local mafia clan was behind the killings, possibly because of a dispute over drug trafficking.

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni also announced that ten new identification centres for immigrants would be established. "The number of illegal immigrants who arrived in Italy in 2008 grew 60 per cent compared to the year before. In 2007, there were 14,200 immigrants. In 2008 some 23,600 arrived," he says.