On December 19, a boat from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands collapsed off the coast of Morocco, killing at least 69 passengers, according to Malian authorities. After reconstructing the tragedy, Mali’s Ministry of Malians Abroad determined that just 11 people survived, out of the approximately 80 passengers on board the homemade sailboat.
The ministry announced the establishment of a crisis unit to keep an eye on the situation.
The expanding perils of the Atlantic migration route, which links the Canary Islands and West Africa, are brought to light by this catastrophe. With 41,425 arrivals from January to November of 2024—already exceeding the previous year’s record of 39,910—data shows a spike in attempts to use this route.
The exodus was prompted by the severe effects of climate change on agricultural communities, years of conflict in the Sahel, and widespread unemployment.
Three hundred migrants landed on six boats at El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, on Friday, December 27, and the Red Cross reported another death among them. The migrant aid organization Walking Borders claims that the Atlantic route, which has departure locations in Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, and Morocco, is still the worst in the world. The group noted 9,757 migrant deaths at sea in 2024 while trying to reach the Canary Islands in its annual report, which was made public this week. This year, 10,457 deaths were reported along all migrant routes to Spain, or around 30 per day.
With 6,829 fatalities, the departure point in Mauritania, which is frequently visited by migrants from the Sahel, had the highest death toll. Walking Borders accused authorities were putting immigration control ahead of the right to life and attacked government policies for the startling death toll. The group identified the criminalization of migrants and insufficient rescue efforts as major causes of the crisis.
