Italy to send troops to Niger

Monitoring Desk

ROME: Italy will send 470 soldiers to Niger to help the west African nation stem the flow of Europe-bound migrants, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Thursday. Economic migrants seeking to reach Europe via Libya use Agadez, the main city in central Niger.

“We are going to Niger following a request by the government at the start of December to… reinforce the security measures in the territory and at the borders and to support the police force,” he said. Niger is “the main transit country” in Africa for Europe-bound migrants, AFP quoted the PM as saying. The country is also “perhaps the most willing to cooperate” as it is a transit country, and does not receive remittances from migrants settled abroad, according to Gentiloni.