An African migrant, believed to be between the ages of 18 and 20, was found dead in the Italian border city of Ventimiglia near France this week, with investigators believing the young man was stabbed to death.
The body of the African was found under the Roverino overpass on Friday morning and he is believed to have died after being stabbed at least five times. According to investigators he was stabbed in the abdomen and in the back, however, it is currently unclear what type of weapon was used.
According to a report from the newspaper Il Giornale, it is assumed he may have been attacked after an argument with a fellow migrant, an occurrence not uncommon in the city.
The area where the body of the man was found is known as a hotspot for illegal immigrants waiting for a chance to illegally cross the nearby border into France.
Robberies and other criminal incidents, including altercations between different ethnicities, have occurred in the area frequently.
In June, a report claimed that inter-ethnic violence between migrants of different nationalities was common in Ventimiglia and that brawls between migrants often occurred at night after the migrants had become intoxicated through drinking alcohol.
Migrants have taken to living in makeshift camps in the city as the mayor Gaetano Scullino has outright refused to re-open the migrant reception centre in the city.
Ventimiglia is not the only city to have seen inter-ethnic violence recently in Italy. In September, two groups of around 40 migrants in total went at each other in the city of Livorno with various weapons, including knives, machetes, chairs, tables, and even swords.
Several of the migrants involved in the clashes were hospitalised and 20 people were later arrested by police in October. The cause of the violence was believed to be related to drug trafficking.
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