Spain grapples with migrant crisis amid rising death toll
THE number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands more than doubled in the first 7.5 months of 2024 as Spain’s prime minister announced plans to visit west Africa next week.
Figures show that 22 304 migrants reached the Atlantic archipelago in the period to August 15, up from 9 864 in the same period a year earlier, interior ministry numbers show. The figure represents a 126% increase year on year.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would leave on August 27 for a threeday visit to Mauritania, The Gambia and Senegal, whose shores have seen countless boats packed with migrants setting sail for the Spanish archipelago.
Spain is one of the main gateways for migrants, with the vast majority making the perilous journey to the Canary Islands which lie off Africa’s northwestern coast.
It will be Sanchez’s second visit to Mauritania in six months – his last trip was in February alongside EU president Ursula von der Leyen who announced funding for migration management as part of an enhanced co-operation programme with the capital Nouakchott. Since late last year, Mauritania has been the main departure point for the boats reaching the Canary Islands in a trend that is likely to increase after the summer when the waters are calmer. The west African nation is hosting more than 150 000 displaced persons, EU figures show.
The Atlantic route to the Spanish islands is particularly dangerous due to strong currents, with migrants travelling in overloaded boats. But it has grown in popularity due to increased vigilance in the Mediterranean. At their closest point, the islands lie 100km off the coast of North Africa, the shortest route running between the coastal town of Tarfaya in southern Morocco and island of Fuerteventura. But many boats set sail from shores further south, from Western Sahara down through the coastlines of Mauritania, The Gambia and Senegal.
More than 5 000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea in the first five months of this year according to Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish charity that monitors boats in distress. That is the highest daily number of deaths since it began collating figures in 2007.