As Italy faces the migration crisis with an influx of migrants on the island of Lampedusa, Giorgia Meloni calls on the world for help. At the UN, the head of the Italian government called on Wednesday to launch “a merciless war” against smugglers.
From the podium of the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister, at the head of a right-wing and far-right coalition, notably assured that her country was ready to lead efforts against “slave traders of the third millennium.
Can the UN “turn its eyes away from this tragedy?” »
“Can an organization (the UN) like this which affirms in its founding document its faith in the dignity and worth of human beings turn its eyes away from this tragedy? “, she said. “I believe it is the duty of this organization to reject any hypocritical approach to this issue and launch a merciless war against human traffickers.” “To this end, we must work together at all levels. Italy wants to be at the forefront on this issue,” she argued.
The Italian island of Lampedusa, located less than 150 km from the Tunisian coast, represents one of the first stops for migrants crossing the Mediterranean hoping to reach Europe.
Between Monday and Wednesday last week, around 8,500 people, more than the entire population of Lampedusa, arrived on 199 boats, according to the United Nations migration agency. These migrants come mainly from Africa, via Tunisia, a country in economic difficulty whose President Kais Saied gave an incendiary speech in February on illegal immigration.
The “mafias” singled out
Giorgia Meloni also pointed out the responsibility of “mafias” who make as much money from migrants as drug traffickers but also assured that her country would also look at the roots of this phenomenon and help African countries to “recover”. develop and prosper.” “Africa is not a poor continent. On the contrary, it is rich in strategic resources,” she said.