A total of 604 migrants were living in open centres at the end of last year, according to information given in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela in reply to a question by Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (PN).

He said 146 were living at Hal Far open centre, 167 at MEC Apartments, 98 at MEC Balzan, 70 at Hal Far 'tent village,' 60 at Marsa open centre, 37 at the Peace Lab in Hal Far, 20 in community registration and six at Dar il-Liedna.

The biggest community was made up of 170 Ethiopians, followed by 100 Eritreans.

There were 63 Somalis, 47 Libyans, and 46 each from Nigeria and Mali. 

There 34 from Senegal, 24 from Gambia, 23 from Syria, 17 Kurds from Turkey, 16 from Ivory Coast, 15 from Guinea Bissau, 12 from Sudan, six from Ghana, five from Comoros, four Palestinians, four each from Guinea, Chad, Cameroon, Bangladesh, three each from Togo, Pakistan, Iraq and Algeria, two Iranians and one each from Vietnam, Niger, Morocco, Guinea Conakry, Egypt, Congo, China, Burkina Faso and Benin.