Spain’s Canary Islands have seen a record-breaking number of migrants arriving from West Africa, with 41,425 reaching the islands between January 1 and November 30 this year, according to the Interior Ministry.
This marks the second consecutive year that the archipelago, a critical front in Europe’s migration battle, has set a new high.
The islands, located off the coast of northwestern Africa, are overwhelmed by the growing number of migrants arriving on overcrowded, unsafe boats. The surge has been particularly high from Mali, Senegal, and Morocco, which represent the top three nationalities, based on data from the European Union’s border agency, Frontex.
Spain is taking steps to address the crisis by urging Frontex to restart an air and maritime surveillance operation, which was discontinued in 2018, over areas like Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia.
The Atlantic route to the Canaries is notoriously perilous, with rough seas posing a significant risk to the fragile boats that migrants use, often leading to tragic capsizes. From January to October, the Canaries saw the fastest rise in migrant arrivals by sea in the EU, even as overall illegal arrivals across the continent declined. Last year, 39,910 migrants arrived, surpassing the previous record set in 2006.
