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MIGRANT CRISIS

Spain and Mauritania strike undocumented migrants deal

Nouakchott and Madrid have reached a security deal to provide Mauritania with more logistical support to combat informal immigration, the state-run Mauritanian News Agency reported Thursday.

Published: 4 November 2022 15:53 CET
Spain and Mauritania strike undocumented migrants deal
Some 11,500 migrants had crossed to the Canary Islands from Africa this year as of September 15th, according to Spanish government figures.(Photo by Marcos Moreno / AFP)

Mauritania is a common transit country for undocumented migrants attempting to reach the European Union via the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago about 100 kilometres (62 miles) off the African continent.

The agreement was signed Wednesday by Mauritanian Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed and his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who was visiting Nouakchott, the agency reported.

“This accord… will provide Mauritania with logistical and technical resources in the security domain in order to help it deal with the phenomena” of migration, it said.

The deal also covers people smuggling “and other types of organised crime” and will include security training.

Spain has previously provided naval and air assets to Mauritania, which are based in Nouadhibou, a northwestern fishing town and common departure point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Some 11,500 migrants had crossed to the Canary Islands from Africa this year as of September 15th, according to Spanish government figures.

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MIGRANT CRISIS

Three dead as migrant boat runs into trouble off Spain

Three people died and seven were listed as missing when a dinghy carrying migrants across the Mediterranean from Algeria ran into trouble off southern Spain, maritime rescue officials said Friday.

Published: 22 March 2024 17:55 CET
Three dead as migrant boat runs into trouble off Spain

Rescuers found the semi-sunken dinghy with two survivors and three bodies some 26 nautical miles south of the southern city of Motril on Friday, Spain’s maritime rescue service wrote on X.

The two survivors said the boat had been carrying 12 people when it set sail from Algeria six days ago, leading the authorities to suspect seven people may have fallen into the sea, it said.

The date and location of their disappearance was unclear.

A plane from the European Union’s Frontex border agency was helping in the search for the missing, it said.

Weather conditions were rough, with winds of up to 75 kilometres (47 miles) per hour and waves as high as three metres (10 feet).

Spain is one of the main gateways for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, with 56,852 undocumented migrants reaching its shores last year, an 82.1 percent jump from 2022.

The vast majority arrived on the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. Several thousand die every year while attempting the journey.

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