عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

15 Illegal Migrants Die at Sea off Algeria

African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)
African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)
TT
TT

15 Illegal Migrants Die at Sea off Algeria

African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)
African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)

Fifteen migrants died on Sunday while attempting to reach Italian shores through a traditional boat, activists in east Algeria said Monday.

Hundreds of illegal migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean while making the dangerous journey to Europe.

In the latest tragedy, a boat departed Collo for Lampedusa island in Italy. It capsized during a storm, leaving 15 people dead, said the civil defense.

Seven bodies were retrieved at dawn on Monday and the coast guard is searching for survivors. A girl has been rescued from the water.

A probe has been launched in the incident.

The coast guard submits monthly reports about its interception of illegal migrant boats.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Algeria on Jan. 19 and discussed illegal migration among other issues with officials.

Rome wants Algiers to play a stronger role in cracking down on the illegal migration.

A week before her visit, the Italian ministers of interior and foreign affairs and international cooperation discussed with Tunisian officials combating illegal migration to Italy from Tunisia.

Tunisia has also increased in popularity as a transit country for migrants heading to Italy, the InfoMigrants website said on March 16.

The Algerian cities of Annaba and Skikda are starting points for journeys to Italy and Oran and Mostaganem are the usual starting points to Spain.

The Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations stated in May 2022 during a conference on illegal migration organized by the General Assembly that the Algerian security forces have dismantled more than 400 illegal migrant smuggling networks between 2020 and 2021.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
TT
TT

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.