A fishing boat carrying nearly 370 migrants landed overnight on the Italian island of Lampedusa, the country's news agencies said on Sunday, fueling anger from local officials over a recent rise in illegal arrivals. Local Lampedusa Mayor Toto Martello called for a general strike on the island from Monday to protest the national government's "frightening silence" on the issue. Either the government takes immediate decisions or the whole island will go on strike," Martello told ANSA news agency. "If a fishing boat of this size with hundreds of people arrives here and nobody notices it, it means that there are no controls in the Mediterranean," Martello said. The German-flagged Louise Michel had said it needed aid after helping a boat carrying at least one dead migrant in the sea that divides Africa and Europe.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 30, 2020 15:56 UTC