Central African leader blames West's 'plundering' of continent for migrant crisis

The head of the Central African Republic on Thursday accused the West of triggering the migration crisis on his continent through the “plundering of natural resources” through slavery and colonization.

Taking the podium at the United Nations General Assembly, President Faustin Archange Touadera addressed the migrant crisis on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where thousands of African migrants arrived last week, overwhelming the local community and causing a major issue for the European Union.

"These young people who symbolize the present and the future of our continent are desperately seeking to join the countries of the European continent in search of an El Dorado," Touadera said.

"This escalation of the migrant crisis is one of the appalling consequences of the plundering of natural resources of countries made poor by slavery, colonization, and Western imperialism, terrorism, and internal armed conflicts," he added.

Touadera's statement contrasted sharply with comments made by Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni the day prior, who blamed the crisis on migrant smugglers and claimed that Africa was, in fact, a rich continent.

Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost island, located less than 90 miles from the Tunisian coast, has long been a landing point for migrant boats from North Africa. But it was inundated last week when some 8,500 people – more than the entire local population – arrived in nearly 200 boats over the course of three days, according to the UN migration agency.