Nairobi, March 15 (QNA) - Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday linked drought to the increase in the number of refugees and migrants trying to reach Europe during a visit to Kenya on Tuesday and called for action to combat the climate crisis in order to address the root cause of the problem.
"Drought, which derives from climate change, is creating enormous difficulties," Mattarella said after meeting Kenyan President William Ruto at the State House in Nairobi on Tuesday.
"Drought creates a food crisis that further pushes migratory phenomenon. This issue is central. We feel drought in Europe too." He pointed out that the Italian government is committed to combating climate change in its program, and it has warned of the need for serious, concrete action for some time.
"It pains us that some countries want to delay addressing the problem. There is no more time. The fight against climate change must start at once," he said.
Returning to the issue of migration, Mattarella called for the EU to do more to take the burden off countries which, for geographical reasons, are more exposed, Italy first and foremost, according to the Italian news agency (ANSA).
"We seek relationships of cooperation with the countries of origin of the (migrant) flows, but we know that the historic and growing size of the migratory phenomenon cannot be faced by one country alone, but only with lucid, well-organized European action that address the problem with systemic action," Mattarella added.
Kenya and the entire Horn of Africa have been suffering from drought for several years. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 129,000 people have reached the limit of food insecurity and are at risk of death in the Greater Horn of Africa, which has been experiencing terrible drought for several years.
The WHO said that about 48 million people are facing crisis levels of food insecurity in the region. Of those, six million are facing emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC phase 4), and 129,000 are at the worst level. (QNA)