Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh will host an international conference on illegal migration in the Mediterranean from April 23-24; Cairo will focus on sustainable development in the Horn of Africa during the meeting.
Concerned countries should better exchange information on the illegal migration gangs, develop policies of regular migration, execute development projects to eradicate poverty and provide job opportunities in the Horn of Africa, said Hisham Badr, assistant to the foreign minister.
“The international community should step forward to counter the phenomenon of illegal migration to save the lives of innocent people exploited by organized crimes and terrorist organizations in Libya,” Egypt’s Foreign Ministry stated Monday.
The “legitimate Libyan government” should be provided with “all possible assistance to control the coasts and fight groups and organizations implicated in human trafficking and illegal migration in exchange for material gains,” the statement said, offering condolences to the families of hundreds of migrants who drowned on their way to Italy on the weekend.
Egypt foils the attempt of dozens, mostly Egyptian, Sudanese and Somali, to reach Libya illegally on weekly basis; it is uncertain whether they plan to work in Libya or migrate to Europe from there. At least two of the 30 Ethiopians shown killed by the Islamic State group in Libya in a Sunday video were heading to Europe, according to the Independent.
On Tuesday, 48 Egyptians and a Sudanese were prevented from traveling to Libya without documents. On the same day, 16 Egyptians were deported from Italy after arriving illegally by sea.
For the end of curbing illegal migration, Egypt will put forward a number of projects that can be implemented locally and regionally for donors to study, Badr said.
Representatives from the European Union, African Union, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Sudan, Italy, France, U.K., Germany and Malta will attend the Sharm el-Sehikh conference to discuss means to confront the phenomenon of human trafficking through illegal migration, according to Badr.
