David Darmanin
A Sudanese official from the International Organisation of Migration was faced with a barrage of beer bottles from angry residents at the Marsa open centre who mistook him for a Sudanese government representative.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Sudanese asylum seekers admitted to “throwing bottles” at the IOM representative, who they mistook for a Sudanese embassy official on “official visit” on Saturday 30 August.
The high-ranking IOM representative, Salah Osman, was accompanied by a Maltese foreign ministry official and the manager of the centre Oliver Gatt, to demonstrate a video production on the benefits of assisted repatriation to Sudan. The scheme, called DAR, is being coordinated in Malta by the Marsa open centre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs amongst others.
Standing by a glass pane broken by a beer bottle in the incident, a Sudanese resident told MaltaToday: “Mr Oliver told us the official was coming to take us back to Sudan. Everything is good for him there, because he lives in comfort. But he doesn’t know how much we suffered there. There was a good reason for us to come here.”
But Suret il-Bniedem general manager Oliver Gatt, who was recently tasked to run the centre, denied ever telling the immigrants they would be repatriated.
After insisting on knowing the sources of the story, Gatt said the IOM representative had gone to Marsa on Friday 29 August to pray with them at the mosque.
“He was very well received,” Gatt said. “But on the morrow, while giving his presentation on the Assisted Voluntary Return (ASV) scheme to about 200 Sudanese residents, including those from the other open centre, about six of them started interrupting as they refused to let him talk.
“Apparently, they thought he was a Sudanese government representative. Then they convinced the others to join them in disrupting. There was some commotion and the talk was brought to an abrupt end. Some time later, a resident, who I think was drunk, threw a bottle of Heineken which hit a glass pane, but nobody got hit. We called in the police but it all soon died down.”
Asked about what action was taken to prevent such incidents from repeating themselves, Gatt said that “leaders” of the Sudanese went to apologise and to disassociate themselves from the attitude shown at the talk.
“These people (the Sudanese) are not like us. They have tribes and cliques and each have persons who are looked upon. These are the leaders I am referring to,” the open centre manager stated.
Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said he was not aware of this incident, while a spokesperson for the ministry sent a mobile phone message stating: “we will investigate and take action accordingly.”
Meanwhile Gatt said he was changing policy of allowing journalists inside the open centre, although it is unclear whether he has such a remit.
“I don’t want journalists coming in the open centre without my express permission, and if need be, without me accompanying them. You shouldn’t have entered without asking. You can report that we are going to employ a guard at the gate.”
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