France has summoned Italy's ambassador after the Italian deputy
prime minister accused the French of exploiting Africa and fuelling
migration.
On Sunday, Luigi di Maio called on the European Union to impose sanctions on France for its policies in Africa.
He said France had "never stopped colonizing tens of African states".
Mr
Di Maio, leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S) which governs in
coalition with the far-right League party, made his latest comments
during a visit to central Italy at the weekend.
It came as the UN said about 170 migrants were feared drowned in two separate Mediterranean shipwrecks.
"The
EU should impose sanctions on France and all countries like France that
impoverish Africa and make these people leave, because Africans should
be in Africa, not at the bottom of the Mediterranean," he said.
"If people are leaving today it's because European countries,
France above all, have never stopped colonising dozens of African
countries."
He said if it wasn't for Africa, France would rank 15th among world economies, not in the top six.
CFA franc
The Italian ambassador to France, Teresa Castaldo, was summoned to the foreign ministry in Paris on Monday.
French
diplomatic sources quoted by Italian news agency Ansa called Mr Di
Maio's remarks "hostile and without cause given the partnership between
France and Italy in the European Union".
But Mr Di Maio, who is also labour and economy minister, was unrepentant on Monday.
He
accused France of manipulating the economies of African countries that
use the CFA franc, a colonial-era currency backed by the French
treasury.
"France is one of those countries that by
printing money for 14 African states prevents their economic development
and contributes to the fact that the refugees leave and then die in the
sea or arrive on our coasts," he said.
France
argues that the CFA franc has brought welcome monetary stability to the
countries that use it, but French President Emmanuel Macron said in 2017
that it was up to African governments to decide what to do with the
currency.
The new Italian government has
frequently clashed with Paris, be it on immigration or policy in Libya,
eager to mark the difference between itself and the previous centre-left
administration which had good ties with the French authorities.
Italy is the destination for thousands seeking a new life in Europe.
Last
year, France criticised Italy for not allowing rescue boats carrying
migrants in the Mediterranean to dock. Italian officials responded by
accusing France itself of refusing to accept migrants.
“I’ve
stopped being a hypocrite talking only about the effects of immigration
and it’s time to talk about the causes,” Mr Di Maio said.
"If Europe wants to be brave, it must have the courage to confront the issue of decolonisation in Africa."
Colonial relic
France says the CFA franc is a guarantee of financial stability but others have attacked it as a colonial relic.
The
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says 4,216 migrants have
crossed to Europe by sea in the first 16 days of 2019 - more than
double the number arriving in the same period last year.
Italy's
other deputy PM, Matteo Salvini, wrote on Facebook after the latest
deaths in the Mediterranean that "as long as European ports remain
open... unfortunately the smugglers will continue to do business and
kill".
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African countries that use the CFA franc:
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Guinea-Bissau
- Senegal
- Mali
- Niger
- Togo
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Cameroon
- Gabon
- Chad
- Central African Republic
- Equatoria Guinea
- The EastAfrican with Additional reporting by Reuters.
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