Von der Leyen’s spokesman, Eric Mamer, confirmed on Saturday that she would make the trip at the invitation of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Nearly 7,000 migrants arrived on Lampedusa from Tunisia this week, and the Red Cross said that 3,800 remained on the island on Friday. A representative told the official that islanders have run out of patience after three decades of coping with arrivals. “Obviously, Italy and Europe can't welcome this massive influx of people, especially when these migrant flows are being managed by unscrupulous traffickers,” she said. As Meloni hosts von der Leyen in Lampedusa, Salvini on Sunday has invited French far-right leader Marine Le Pen to an annual League rally in the northern Italian town of Pontida.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 17, 2023 14:17 UTC