Meanwhile more than 800 people from African countries including Eritrea and Somalia, who were rescued on Thursday, were brought to the port of Augusta in southeastern Sicily. "These people had a very difficult journey," Save the Children spokeswoman Giovanna Di Benedetto said at the port. "Many of the minors are unaccompanied, including small children. Since the beginning of the year, 14,319 migrants have been brought to Italy, according to the Interior Ministry. That compares with 9,101 in the same period of 2016, a year in which a record 181,000 arrivals were recorded.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 03, 2017 20:12 UTC