Following talks with Italian and French leaders, Merkel said the EU's migration deal with Turkey could form the blueprint for similar arrangements with North African countries. "We must agree on similar deals with other countries, such as in North Africa, in order to get better control over the Mediterranean Sea refugee routes," Merkel told German newspaper, Neue Passauer Zeitung. The call for North African deals comes after German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere proposed the idea earlier this year, with international migration experts suggesting that the number of people set to cross the sea from North Africa to Italy could soar in September and October. Turkey has given a deadline of Oct for EU to grant visa free travel or it will end co-operation on helping EU manage refugee crisis. Many believe that negotiating similar migration deals with North African countries could pose serious questions on practicality, with smuggling hubs such as Libya still in political turmoil and embroiled in violence, after a UN-backed unity government was rejected earlier this week.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 24, 2016 12:22 UTC