The news wires have now switched to a spin-off story from Libya; the plight of thousands of migrants who have left the Maghreb in search of a better life in Europe.

We know how it works, up to 100 people crammed on tiny, rickety boats; all trying to make it to the promised land of Europe. So far, Lampedusa has received some 7,000 immigrants from Libya, but mostly Tunisia. The holding centre there is equipped to house 1,000 people and from the footage shown on BBC and Sky, it is clear that they are struggling to cope with the influx.

Lampedusa is only a transit point, and as many North Africans as possible are being shipped off to mainland Italy. Most of them hope to reach family members in France.

The secret is finally out. Apart from not wanting to come to Malta because of the arbitrary detention period, as well as the difficulty in getting to mainland Europe later in the day, the reason why boat people head to Lampedusa is because of its geographic location. The boat routes all centre around simple navigation and if leaving from Tunisia, boats head East to Lampedusa and due North to Sicily. If people leave Libya from the Tripoli area, they simply head North to Lampedusa and then North again to Sicily.

But it is clear, Malta must brace itself for the eventual influx. Bearing in mind the horrific events taking place in Libya, Malta will not be spared. The weather has now also turned, making the deadly boat crossing a bit easier.

At the height of the Gaddafi regime, Libya was one of the main departure points for migrants seeking to get to Europe. A good deal of them ended up in Malta. The fact that no immigrants had arrived over the past couple of weeks therefore raises the question, was migration sponsored by the Gaddafi regime, despite his co-operation at the time to stem the amount of departures from North Africa. Put simply, was Gaddafi lying through his back teeth? Was he telling Malta and Italy that he was co-operating, only to then sponsor a state racket where money would be pocketed by the regime, or those within the regime?

Given all that we have heard from Tripoli over the past weeks, anything is possible. Malta, compared to Lampedusa, has a better infrastructure to deal with immigrants and asylum seekers, mostly due to the number of Africans which we housed over the past few years.

Malta must increase its state of readiness, in preparation for the exodus which will take place once matters settle down, and once the displaced people are allowed to move from the holding areas at the borders of Libya and Tunisia.

Like it or not, Malta has its obligations, and one sincerely hopes that we will be spared the racist diatribes that normally accompany any arrival of foreigners from the African continent. If anyone needs help, it is these people, and who can blame them for fleeing? The government also needs to put safeguards in place at a European level to ensure that the country gets the support which Europe should be obliged to provide. Perhaps the Gonzi administration’s outright refusal to take part in coalition operations will come back to haunt us. Despite NATO command, it is clear that Cameron and Sarkozy are calling the shots. Let us see how the special friendship between Gonzi and Cameron pans out now.