EU offers more funds to Africa curb migration
BRUSSELS- The European Union offered Niger 610 million euros ($635 million) on Thursday to curtail migration from Africa through the Mediterranean to Europe and said it was seeking more such money-for-migration deals ahead.
Some 1.4 million refugees and migrants arrived in Europe this year and last, and the EU wants to cut back on the uncontrolled influx of people.
Niger's desert city of Agadez is a popular waystation for people trying to cross the Sahara to reach Libya and eventually Europe via Italy. This year has become the deadliest on record for those seeking to make the journey.
The EU has already offered similar schemes to Senegal, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Mali, as well as to Afghanistan, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, among others. On Thursday, EU leaders agreed in Brussels they would seek to engage more African countries in such collaboration.
The bloc has also strengthened control of its external borders and is trying to deport more people who make it to Europe but have no case for asylum.
