Italy is a popular crossing for migrants seeking to enter EU. (File)More than 1,000 migrants were brought ashore to southern Italy on Saturday after coastguards launched major rescue operations for three boats struggling in rough seas off Calabria. Local officials said a further 200 migrants had been picked up off the coast of Sicily and would be ferried to Catania later in the day. Late last year, it cracked down on charity rescue boats, accusing them of acting as a taxi service for migrants. However, departures have nonetheless picked up dramatically, with roughly 17,000 migrants reaching Italy by boat so far this year against some 6,000 in the same period of 2022.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 11, 2023 19:40 UTC