France summons Italy's ambassador over claims it is seeking to 'impoverish' West Africa with 'colonialist franc'

France has summoned Italy’s ambassador to Paris after deputy prime minister Luigi di Maio accused the French of “impoverishing” West Africa by keeping it in a colonialist embrace.

But far from ending the spat, Italy's other deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini added fuel to the fire by claiming France had deliberately let the security crisis fester in Libya for national gain.

In the latest acrimonious flare-up between the two neighours, Mr Di Maio pointed the finger at the CFA, the West African franc, which several countries still use and which he dubbed "the franc of the colonies".

As a result of being downtrodden, Africans are trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, and dying in the attempt, said the head of the populist Five Star movement.

“If today we have people who are leaving Africa, it’s because certain European countries, France in particular, have never stopped colonising Africa,” he claimed. Speaking on Italian radio Monday morning, he said: "France is one of those countries that by printing money for 14 states prevents development and contributes to the departure of refugees."

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France "first lectures us (on migrants), then continues to finance public debt with the money with which he exploits Africa”, he went on. The deputy premier suggested Brussels impose sanctions on Paris and take the matter to the United Nations. "In order to keep the Africans in Africa, it would be enough for the French to stay home,” he concluded.

The broadside triggered a furious response from France, whose foreign ministry summoned Teresa Castaldo, Italian ambassador to Paris.

The office of Nathalie Loiseau, French Europe minister, called the remarks “unacceptable”, while diplomatic sources said they were "hostile and without cause given the partnership between France and Italy in the European Union.”

But the French said "they must be read in a context of Italian internal politics”.

The two countries have been locked in a bad-tempered spat for months with the coalition in Rome repeatedly accusing Mr Macron of failing to shoulder responsibility for the migrant crisis and of ordering asylum seekers to be rounded up in France and pushed back to Italy.

They also differ fundamentally on their view of the EU, with Mr Macron seeking to reinvigorate the European project while the Italian coalition espouses openly Eurosceptic views.

The gulf appears to be widening in the run-up to the European Parliament elections in May, with Mr Salvini in particular emerging as a vocal leader of populism across the continent while President Macron endeavours to shore up the establishment.

On Monday, Mr Salvini, head of the far-Right League, upped the ante by claiming that France had no interest in bringing calm to violence-wracked Libya because of its energy interests. "In Libya, France has no interest in stabilising the situation, probably because it has oil interests that are opposed to those of Italy," Mr Salvini told Canale 5 TV station.

Two weeks ago, the two Italian deputy leaders irked France by offering enthusiastic encouragement to the “yellow vests”, whose protests have turned increasingly violent in Paris and other cities. Mr Salvini said he supported “honest citizens who protest against a president who governs against his people.”

France told the pair “to put their own house in order” before meddling in French affairs.

“Maybe (Ms Loiseau) forgets that her president compared us to leprosy when talking about our government,” responded Mr Di Maio.

An expert on Africa said Mr Di Maio's comments regarding France and its former colonies were misleading and simplistic. "These are complex issues which you can't treat with superficial propaganda," said Pierluigi Valsecchi, an expert from Pavia University in northern Italy.

"The currency (the CFA franc) certainly helps France maintain its influence in the region, but it also brings advantages for the countries that use it.

"The CFA franc facilitates trade and cooperation between these countries and protects them from speculative attacks (on the financial markets).

"In exchange, these countries have to control their public spending and cannot go into debt beyond a certain limit," he told Corriere della Sera newspaper.

European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici warned against making statements "for national use" that “resemble provocations”. He called for an end to "this conflictual phase that I find negative and senseless”.