CAIRO — German Chancellor Angela Merkel lands in Cairo Thursday on a two-day trip to Egypt and Tunisia, in a push to limit migrant flows to Europe through North Africa, especially chaos-torn Libya.
Turmoil exploited by people smugglers since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi has made Libya the main gateway for African migrants seeking to make dangerous Mediterranean crossings.
Merkel, who faces elections in September, is under intense pressure to reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to Germany, which has taken in over one million migrants since 2015.
Her government urges the North African states to step up border controls and speed up repatriations of migrants whose asylum applications are rejected.
Merkel is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on Thursday, followed by meetings with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Egypt’s top Muslim cleric.
She will depart to Tunisia on Friday to meet Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.
— AFP
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