Merkel ready to help African states curb illegal migration

The EU wants to work more closely with Africa to address illegal migration, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday. She was addressing a summit attended by dozens of European and African leaders in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. “It’s very important that we simply support Africans to put a stop to illegal migration, so people don’t have to either suffer in horrible camps in Libya or are even being traded,” Merkel said. Migration is a top issue at the summit after recent footage of migrants at a slave auction in Libya drew international condemnation, AP said. Another issue high on the agenda is security as the threat of extremism grows in West Africa and elsewhere.