e.u. leaders set to discuss ways to stop thousands crossing the mediterranean sea to reach europe i'm darren jordan you're watching al jazeera live. also on the programme. more saudi arabia coalition air strikes on houthi rebels in yemen as ground battles condition. nigerian military says it's entered boko haram's last-known stronghold. and killed a senior commander and a volcano set to erupt

in chile, a volcano sending ash into the sky. european leaders will hold an emergency meeting in brussels on the growing crisis in the mediterranean sea. more than 1,000 people arrived on unsafe, overcrowded boats. it's feared the number of migrants could reach 200,000 by the end of the year. barnaby phillips reports from cattania. >> the fellow shows no signs of slowing down. you can see the customs boat. 220 migrants from sub-saharan av ki disembarked. they were picked up off the most. almost all men, a handful of women, some pregnant amongst them. this is the context where

european leaders will gather, looking at ways to expand operation triton that works in the waters to give it more ships and aerial surveillance. they'll be looking at contentious issues of whether refugees should be resettled around europe. that's contentious politically for countries, sensitive. and a proposal - this is from a leaked draft, of whether they should undertake systematic efforts to capture and destroy vessel before they are used by traffickers. if you talk about destroying them you'll destroy them at source that means going to libyan ports. who knows, using military force. that will be interesting to see how bold european leaders are in that regard. al jazeera's laurence lee joins us from brussels where the meeting is taking place. we know the italian prime minister says he needs more help from the e.u. to deal with the

crisis. is he likely to get the help from the meeting when it centres. >> i think on the basic terms, what they are trying to do is give the thought that they are in control of events rather than being led by them. their argument and the logic about migration and flows in the mediterranean turned out to be wrong. they argued that the reason there was so many boats taking to the mediterranean was search and rescue. and the fact that people could go into the sea knowing there was a chance they had berescued. they used that argument to stop search and rescue and replace with a smaller thing run by front ex. that turned out wrong. so many have come over this year and the best part of 2,000 died in the mediterranean. what they need to do at the meeting is simultaneously it seems to me, give a sense of how

terrible it is but to offer leadership in terms of what they'll do. and barnaby phillips point about them taking bold measures it seems the primary thing they'll do is controversial in itself which is rather than trying to take in a lot of migrants and refugees which is what agencies in the united nations wan them to do, to make it difficult to get on the boat in the first place, rather than bring the search and rescue at the moment what they want to do is make it difficult for people to get on boats and have a military comment to the response. hard face extremely right wing. it's the thing that most right wing commentators in europe called for, blowing up boats. it appears that's the main response from the european union to what has been going on. >> the other thing barnaby was saying in his report is immigration is a political hot potato across europe. it's a sensitive issue

politically. >> clearly for all the talk in e.u. about speaking with one voice and acting as a block, it's rubbish. everyone has its own immigration rebels. german has been open. britain has taken 150 people. a notional idea that you could maybe divide up the number of migrants between 28 european countries and send them out is never going to work if there's no chance of that. any more chance of the u.n. calling for a million refugees to be resettled across the rich countries. there's no chance of it happening. indeed. in some ways you could argue the opposite. we had an election in a few weeks time. david cameron, the british prime minister can come here and say how sorry he is, but insist there's no way europe will be swamped by migration. you can see leaders using this

for political purposes. it's not the kind of humanitarian response that aid agencies and the like have been calling for. they want this to be an opportunity for europe to change policies. in many ways the opposite is likely to happen. >> thank you for that laurence lee the italian government says that nearly all the people crossing the mediterranean with hopes of a better life leave from libya. hoda abdel-hamid is in miz regarda, talking to some risking their lives to make the journey across the sea. >> reporter: they escaped war and poverty, travelling for weeks or months to reach libya, the gateway to a better life in europe. baba almost made it when his boat was intercepted. it was intercepted by the libyan coast guard. it was on the same day another carrying 400 migrants capsized. >> they got me and put me in container. and i come here.

i don't know this place. people are suffering here. we don't understand where we are supposed to go or if they'll help us to live free. >> reporter: mohammed was on the journey, escaping sierra leone, after his parents died of ebola last year. >> we are orphans without anybody. we don't have anybody here for us. that's why we are here. we don't have any help of anybody. >> now they are in a detention center on the outskirts of misrata. about 1,000 people are held here. the building used to be a school the classrooms are cramped. they come mainly from sub-saharan countries, some from as far as bangladesh. >> there's one toilet available for men and women. living conditions are extremely difficult. authorities do acknowledge that,

but they say they are doing as best as they can to cope with that situation and in the coming months they fear things could get worse. with the onset of summer, many more migrants are expected to reach the coast of libya, everyone heard about the the lives of hundreds in the sea. it's a risk that they are prepared to take. >> translation: yes, it's dangerous, but there's no work in my country, that's why i'll take that risk. maybe i'll die. i'm scared. i have no other option. i have not spoken to my mother in months. she doesn't know if i'm alive or dead. i have to work, earn money, and then i can see her again. >> it will take four or five years. >> it is the despair that made the men and women fly from home. despite the risks, escaping war torn libya by sea to europe is the only hope for a safer future

stay with libya, i.s.i.l. fighters killed two members of forces loyal to the legally installed tripoli government. the attack happened near cert. the 156th brigade was on patrol. five were injured in the attack. elsewhere in libya, there has been fighting between rival factions after a truce collapsed. there has been violence between different groups, loyal to libya's two rival governments. the truce announced wednesday to stop the fighting and allow residents to go back to their homes. >> heavy fighting is continuing on the ground in southern yemen between the popular resistance forces and houthi rebels. those backed by ali abdullah saleh are battling those of the former president. they are concerned iranian ships may be carrying arms for the rebels. the u.s. aircraft carrier "theodore roosevelt" is moving

into waters off yemen. carter warned not to fan the flames, but did not say whether ships would be forcefully bordered. a look off the coast of yemen, u.s.s. "roosevelt", and "normandy" bridges the numbers of u.s. ships to nine. two destroyers, two mine sweepers and two vessels. the move comes as the u.s. continues to monitor seven iranian ships in the area believed to include the destroyer and the helicopter carrying warship. they have a heavy presence off the yemeni coast. from jizan, on the suede-yemeni border we have a report on fierce fighting in many parts of

the county. >> reporter: street battles in tiaz a day after the saudi-led coalition announced the end of the first phase of an air campaign in yemen. fighters are loyal to president abd-rabbu mansour hadi. they are supported by soldiers from the 35th brigade. but they are still unable to push the houthi rebels, and the soldiers loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh from the city. a similar scene is here, further south in the city of aden. these are members of the hadi popular resistance committee fighting continued tuesday night and the early hours of wednesday. in washington, the saudi arabia ambassador to the united states said the situation in aden required continued military action. >> we are seeing movement by the houthis that is very disturbing in the city of aden. where we see squirmishes, and we see movement of houthi troops into aden from three different directions.

>> reporter: clashes resumed in other areas. on wednesday, the saudi-led coalition targeted houthis and fighters in tiaz and other areas. the houthis seemed far from being broken. they marched in sanaa, which they still control. they chanted victory, denounced the saudi-led strikes and renewed allegiance to the houthi leader. yemeni army soldiers and officers loyal to the houthis and former president saleh joined the march. >> we took to the street to condemn shelling of civilians, bombarding of residential areas. we say shame on you. why don't you face us on the ground. why don't you fight us like men,

yemenis are as solid as rocks. >> the houthis say they won the war. and any peace deal should be based on the deal last september, a day after they took control of the capital sanaa. meanwhile, the human toll of the conflict is continuing to rise. >> houthis target any woman, any child or man, they blindly and randomly targeted all of us. >> translation: we are no longer able to receive more cases, it's gone beyond our capability in the hospital. we are putting patients in the corridors and reception. at least nine patients in each room. we are short-staffed and don't have enough beds or medicine. >> reporter: the international committee of red cross declared the humanitarian situation catastrophic and called for better access to aid. the saudi-led coalition launched an operation with the aim of restoring peace in yemen. so far there are still no signs of a peaceful resolution to the conflict

lots more to come on the programme. civil society in south africa comes together against attacks on migrant workers. a day after a former hung himself at a meeting in india's capital, we look at the issue of land acquisition. more on that. stay with us.

welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. european leaders to hold an

emergency summit on the fast growing crisis in the mediterranean sea. more than 1,000 arrived at italian ports, many on unsafe boats. fighting conditions on the ground in southern yemen between the popular resistance force and rebels. there is concern that the iranian ships may be carrying weapons for the houthis. nigeria's army says it killed a commander of boko haram. they described him as a terrorist leader. this as ground forces joined an offensive against the last-known stronghold. a force launched the offensive and recaptured much of the territory it controlled. on march 27th the day before the elections, the army announced the capture of the hours of boko haram. a week later on april 7th all

of boko haram's camps were overrun. on 10 april the army declared victory in two towns in borno. i spoke to a former director of the state security service, and he claims the operation is critical in the fight against boko haram. >> it is very significant. because you recall that before the election, they did mention that boko haram, and a lot of communities had been liberated by security forces. and the strongholds - it's significant. this is the last stronghold. it's the last stronghold of boko haram. and i believe very strongly that the government is actually moving against boko haram. the problem is it's the forces

avoiding collateral damages. communities are liberated. it is important that the government needs to take adequate action immediately. in south africa hundreds gathered for an anti-xenophobic march. more from charles stratford. >> it's a variety of civil society groups here. they are saying one thing "no to zennio phobia", i spoke to a man that described them as all being the same. the violence attacks that we have seen in recent weeks is in no way representative of south africa

africa, a key push to make it clear. there's a variety of civil society groups people supporting h.i.v. suf everers -- saferers trade unions a number of different people. there's a campaign they are pushing forward. i say they are civil society groups but the government is at the meeting. they are handing out a flyer, i don't know if you see it - saying south africa belongs to all that lies here that's issued by the sav cap government. radio campaigns, messages calling for a stop to the violence ain xenophobic messages made. mexican police have been accused of killing vigilantes fighting a drug gang. it will be the first time in the past year that security forces had been involved. a warning to our viewers that

some images are graphic. killed in the crossfire, or massacred by police. it's unclear what the cell phone video shows. but according to an investigation by mexican journalist the police soaped fire an members of vigilante groups op january 6th. the official story is the people killed died in a shoot-out. that is something vigilantes totally reject, saying they were there on the day. they were unarmed, and they say that the police opened fire and were aiming to kill them, and heard them say, "kill them." this is something we cannot independently verify. this is one of the leaders of the group, known as the viagra calling them self-defence forces. authorities say they are part of a drug gang. it's hard to tell where one's allegiances live. most of the men were allegedly in town that day.

>> all i could see is people getting shot. as a matter of fact i think there was a lot of people kneeing them on the knees and shooting them. >> the last time we met the group was a year ago when they were working with the state police to bring down the most wanted man. they can't go to town. this woman said she witnessed the shooting. she asked to remain anonymous. >> translation: they only have sticks and rocks to defend themselves. some wearing sandals. federal authorities refuse to talk about the report. the presence at the time. now he maintains that killings were a result of crossfire. checkpoints manned by police are found across the state. it's a violent pace.

in the past they coordinated effort. vigilantes say they've never trust the police again. >> we showed security footage. his me were running, they never fired. some of what was happening was caught on camera. supporters of sri lanka's former defense secretary demonstrated outside an anti-bribery commission. they were summoned on thursday to answer charges of corruption the brother of the former president. the current leader has launched an investigation into financial deals by rajapaksa's family members. an indian farmer died during a protest over a land bill. prime minister narendra modi has been accused of not doing enough

to help cope with cropping damage. we have this report. >> this is the body of the a farmer. >> translation: a man commits suicide when all ways of his life are closed. he had to take the step. >> reporter: he lost his life in front of hundreds in new delhi. the rally was organised by the common man party. it accused the police of not doing enough to prevent his death. >> translation: police were acting like mute spectators, we urged them to take actions. they had to do what we were not supposed do. our members scaled the tree and took the man down. he has become a casualties n a

rising trend of suicide. many former suicides every day. >> in the state alone. 601 farmers took their lives. many have been in the cotton belt. opposition olympic games the indian government for failing to protect interesting saying the government's shift from subsidy to investment is pushing low income farmers to the brink what happened within a year? the country's farmers lost faith in the party, and prime minister narendra modi. the farmers feel that narenda modi's government it not pro farmers. modi's government is anti-farmers. >> there is no link between government policies and the suicide. they say people have taken their lives after destruction to their crops caused by severe weather. many farmers accused politicians of point scoring, and whether it's losing their crops or the prospect of

losing their land. for some, it's a matter of life and death. so why is the indian land acquisition bill so controversial. well, the changes allow the compulsory purchase of farm land without the consent of farmers. the farmers say they have not received promised compensation from the government for crop failure affecting millions of hectares this year, and are angry at what is seen as a pro-business bias. let's talk to our guest from the national campaign for people's right to information. she feels the indian government needs to do more to ease the plight of parmers. >> i think there's the largest framework that needs to be examined. the problem is that if someone faces destitution, if there is crop failure, that a poor farmer faces, and if there's no adequate safety net to protect their interest, they feel they have no hope.

that is the story that is coming out behind all the farmers suicides. our political protest joining issues with the farmers, with the marnal in untilized. so far the government has not been very responsive. we hope the government will be more sensitive to people's needs. it's important for the government to recognise if these steps sustain the image of the government as being procorporate anti-poor is going to get cemented further. people are not seeing adequate relief. if one looks at compensation in the case of crop damage, people feel that they are getting a pittance, hardly anything.

parts of southern chile are under a state of emergency after a chile volcano started erupting. thousands have been forced to evacuate. >> reporter: a reminder of the earth's fury. as the volcano roared into life sending ash into the sky. >> translation: at the beginning it was small. later the cloud grew, it was huge, and i got scared. >> reporter: chile issued a red alert, closing schools and airports, and ordering anyone nearby to leave quickly. >> translation: we are going increase the evacuation zone from 10 to 20 kilometres and are asking anyone nearby to leave the area and paying precautionary measures for safety.

>> reporter: that caused crowds to flee. crowds queued for the petrol pumps. >> translation: it was impressive to see a mushroom cloud and see the ash. at that point there was a lot of panic, a lot of chaos, people going to supermarkets, everyone looking for water. >> it is considered one of the most dangerous of chile's 90 active volcanos. there has been no lava yet, authorities are watching this closely. now russia is cutting spending on its space programme by more than a third over the next 10 years. several research projects including the launch of super heavy rockets will be removed from the programme. russia's economy has been hit hard by plunging oil prices and

western sanctions over the conflict in ukraine. a quick reminder you can keep up to date with the news on the website. new and improved. the address - aljazeera.com emergency meeting - european leaders try to figure out what to do about thousands of migrants risking their lives to flee to safer shores. deaths and violence over jobs. south africans taking to the streets calling for an end to xenophobic attacks. david petraeus set to be sentenced. we'll