EU urged to increase financial aid to North Africa to help tackle migration crisis

North African countries have urged Europe at a Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli to increase aid to help them stem the flow of refugees and migrants.

Representatives from 28 African and European countries met in Libyan capital on Wednesday (17 July) to discuss ways to tackle irregular migration. The North African country is a main departure point for refugees and migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries, risking perilous Mediterranean Sea journeys to seek better lives in Europe. More than 20,000 of them have either died or disappeared while trying to cross the Mediterranean, according to the United Nations. Therefore, countries “have a moral responsibility” towards the people “who cross the desert and the sea” hoping to reach Europe, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said.

His Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, stressed the importance of fighting human trafficking, saying that “we cannot allow it, for these organizations are becoming very powerful, but they do not care about those human rights and human beings.”

In recent years, the European Union has increased efforts to reduce migration, but during the Tripoli conference, the Libyan PM called on wealthier countries to “provide the funds” in order to stop the influx of migrants. Describing the EU financial aid as “insufficient to address the problem,” Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani also called on the European Union to increase the funds to his and other countries to help tackle the flow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.