The European Commission president's visit comes in response to an invitation from Italian Prime Minister Meloni. Italy's right-wing government has urged the EU to help in the face of thousands of migrants' arrival.
Meloni invited von der Leyen to visit after some 8,500 people arrived on the island by boat in merely three days. The Italian prime minister wanted the EU chief to be aware of the"seriousness of the situation" facing Italy, with one day alone witnessing the arrival of 5,000 migrants.
"President von der Leyen will be traveling to Lampedusa tomorrow on the invitation of Italian PM Meloni," European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer posted online Saturday.The thousands of migrants who arrived in Lampedusa outnumber the entire local population. They arrived in the span of three days, from Monday to Wednesday, in some 199 boats, the UN migration agency said, overwhelming the island's migration center, which has a capacity for about 400 people.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called the arrivals an"act of war," and on Friday, Meloni urged the EU to do more to help. Lampedusa is Italy's southernmost island. It lies just a few dozen kilometers off the coast of the Tunisian city of Sfax, making it a regular entry point for migrants crossing over from North Africa.Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
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