Representatives of almost 20 countries, EU officials, and representatives of international organisations gathered in Rome on Sunday, July 23, for a one-day summit. As Europe looks to Africa and the Middle East to permanently replace Russian supplies, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni organised the meeting in an effort to position her nation as a leader in resolving issues affecting Mediterranean countries, such as illegal immigration and energy.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Tunisian President Kaies Saied, Nigerien Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly were among the African leaders present at the occasion. Human rights organisations worry that the gathering, which brings together countries from northern and sub-Saharan Africa as well as the Middle East, would equate to anti-migrant policies that place the burden on Africa to keep Africans out of Europe.
Meloni stated at the opening meeting that Western conceit has probably prevented answers to the migratory problem. Fighting criminal groups that traffic in migrants, improving the management of migratory flows, helping refugees, and assisting nations of origin were her four primary recommendations for future collaboration.
Too frequently, the West has appeared to be more concerned with imparting knowledge than providing assistance, Meloni claimed. “It has probably been challenging to move forward with solutions because of this uncertainty.” She claimed that there would be more room for lawful migration if flows were better regulated. Meloni stressed during her final press conference that many people who would qualify for refugee status lack legal admission because quotas are filled by those who enter the country illegally.
“Up until yesterday, we had the belief that migration cannot be restricted since it is a human right and that borders do not exist. Because of the existence of borders and the need to manage migration, that is not my strategy, Meloni stated. She stated that the United Arab Emirates had given 100 million euros to help improve conditions in nations where poverty and a lack of amenities are driving emigration and said that the attendees had praised the conference’s practical, goal-oriented approach.
“We are not paying enough attention to the right to not be forced to emigrate, to not be forced to flee their own homes, to not be forced to abandon their land and leave family members in search of a new life,” Meloni said during the opening remarks. “In an era where so much attention is given to the right to migrate, we are not paying sufficient attention to the right to not be forced to emigrate, to not be forced to flee their own homes.” The conference takes place while refugees are forcibly redirected from Tunisia into Libya, where they are trapped in the desert, many of them exposed to the elements.
In his customary Sunday benediction, Pope Francis urged European and African leaders to find a solution to the thousands of migrants who are being turned away at North African borders. The pontiff stated that thousands of people have been imprisoned and abandoned in deserts for weeks and are going through unbearable misery. The pope prayed that “fraternity, solidarity, and welcoming” would prevail and that “the Mediterranean no longer be a theatre of death and inhumanity.”
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The Director of the Department of Emergencies at the International Organization for Migrants (IOM) stated in June of last year that “the Mediterranean continues to be the most dangerous migration route in the world, with the highest fatality rate.” According to the IOM, more than 1,900 migrants have already perished, disappeared, or are currently thought to be missing in the Mediterranean this year, raising the total number of fatalities and missing persons since 2014 to 27,675. 483 more people are missing or dead in Africa this year.
One of the important participants, Tunisian President Kais Saied, signed a letter of understanding for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Meloni and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen a week prior to the summit in Rome.
Financial details weren’t disclosed, but the EU held out the prospect of nearly 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to aid in reviving Tunisia’s faltering economy, as well as 100 million euros ($111 million) for border control, maritime search and rescue operations, and repatriating illegal immigrants.Saied declared during the conference that Tunisia would not permit migrants travelling to Europe to stay there and that the nation would not serve as a “corridor for outlaws.”
In order to address the underlying reasons for migration and foster wealth and hope in underdeveloped nations, he urged the creation of a new global financial organisation.
For the dangerous voyage across Africa’s deserts, migrants pay human traffickers hundreds of dollars. Numerous people claim to have endured torture and other forms of abuse. And every year, hundreds of people who are travelling to Europe in flimsy boats perish at sea.
