The Italian parliament on Wednesday approved an increased military presence in Libya and the deployment of 470 troops in Niger to combat migration and the trafficking of people to Europe, many of whom find their way to Italian shores.
Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in December said he would redeploy some troops to North Africa from Iraq and Afghanistan, seeking parliament’s approval.
In the resolution on foreign missions for this year, Italy plans to spend 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) on 31 missions in 21 countries. Only a portion of the funding was approved in the budget and additional money will have to be set aside by the end of September.
The focus on Africa comes as Italy is seeking to stop migrants from reaching its shores. The mostly African immigrants first cross the Sahel states to reach Libya, where they set off in boats for Italy. More than 600,000 have come in the past four years.
Libya has been pin pointed as the main departure point, due to the political void created by the ouster and killing of long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Gaddafi’s killing created a void, which people smugglers took advantage of to rake in money from migrants seeking to reach Europe.
Gentiloni said the mission would “guarantee stability in the area and fight illegal trafficking of migrants”.
