Syllabus: Prelims/ Current Events of international importance
News
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently visited the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is struggling with a surge in migrant arrivals.
About
- Lampedusa, which is closer to North Africa than the Italian mainland, has long been targeted by people smugglers. With Tunisia now the main launching pad for Europe, the island today is receiving around 70% of all migrants arriving in Italy.
- The boats arriving in Lampedusa from Tunisia are citizens of various African nations, including Ivory Coast, Guinea, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mali and Tunisians.
- There is also a growing number of people from neighboring Libya. These include citizens of Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan, where the ongoing conflict between rival military leaders has already displaced more than 4 million people.
- The socio-economic situation in Tunisia is spiraling with high inflation and a lack of jobs, crippling both Tunisians and foreigners living there.
Source: TH
