European summit on illegal migration through Libyan coasts opens in Brussels

Brussels, Belgium (PANA) – "Stop African migrants from moving to Europe through Libya" is the first point on the agenda of a European summit that opened Thursday in Brussels, Belgium, according to an EU press statement issued here.

European leaders must particularly agree on the financial means needed to end the illegal immigration from Africa, the statement said.

Official report says that since 2014, at least 140,000 Africans have died on the Mediterranean Sea after traveling on board boats to cross the sea from Libyan coasts.

At a previous meeting in Malta, European leaders approved an action plan to break the networks of smugglers, take back economic migrants, improve border controls and train Libyan coastal guards.

France, Germany, Italy and Spain had decided to send control missions to Chad and Niger, the two main transit countries before Libya, to favour the departure for Europe of migrants previously identified by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Organisation of international migration (OIM), the UN specialised agencies operating in those countries.
-0- PANA AK/JSG/SOC/MSA/VAO 19Oct2017