It is unfair to characterize Africa as the main source of migrants to Europe as African citizens make up only around 8 percent of new arrivals on the continent, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui told Sputnik on Wednesday
SOCHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2019) It is unfair to characterize Africa as the main source of migrants to Europe as African citizens make up only around 8 percent of new arrivals on the continent, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"This debate [of Africa being the source of migrant flow to Europe] is not fair to the continent. We are not the first provider of migrants to Europe or to elsewhere. I think we are not more than 8 percent of those migrants," Chergui said on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Forum in the Black Sea port city of Sochi.
Chergui said that African leaders must nevertheless analyze why young people are risking their lives to reach Europe.
"I think if we have a comprehensive approach to all these phenomena, including looking into root causes of... why these young people are taking big risks. We have to address this. It's issues of political governance, economic governance, integration, inclusiveness," the diplomat said in his talk with Sputnik.
The Mediterranean Sea basin has been the center of a migrant wave heading towards Europe in recent years. Although 2019 has seen a dip in the number of people crossing the sea, many southern European nations have imposed policies to keep migrants off their shores and tighten regulations on those accepted.
The Russia-Africa summit and business forum, co-chaired by the presidents of Russia and Egypt, kicked off on Wednesday. Over 40 African nations are be represented by heads of state or government at the summit, while 11 others sent their vice presidents, foreign ministers or ambassadors. The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency is an official media partner of the event.
