The President of the Central African Republic on Thursday accused Western countries of triggering a migration crisis by pillaging Africa's natural resources and impoverishing the continent through slavery and colonization.

'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,' said Faustin-Archange Touadéra during his speech to the annual debate of the UN General Assembly.