Tri-Service

Ministers Fail To Agree Deal For Migrants

European Union governments have failed to reach agreement on how to divide up the tens of thousands of refugees pouring into southern Italy from north Africa.

It comes as Italian police in riot gear have forcibly removed a few dozen African migrants who had been camping out for days at the Mediterranean border with France.

In violent scenes, some of the migrants protested, grabbing onto signposts, while others had to be carried off .

"We are human beings. We are not animals," said Saddam, a Sudanese migrant who watched the police operation on Tuesday at the Ventimiglia border crossing and only gave his first name.

"I know we are black and we are come from Africa, but we are still humans."

Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, meanwhile, recommends that HMS Bulwark, the warship currently tasked with rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean, be replaced by an "equivalent mission" when its deployment ends on July 5.

Mr Vaz pressed ministers to ensure it is "adequately replaced by an equivalent mission" rather than a "small and poorly financed operation".

He also called for the government to provide support for "more aggressive measures" against human traffickers in international waters, as he warned the criminal gangs will be the only winners of the "Mediterranean madness".