The feedback from the U.N. company adopted experiences on Monday {that a} boat carrying a whole lot of individuals capsized within the sea close to the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, leaving dozens lacking.
Departures from North and West African nations reminiscent of Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco have continued to surge in latest months. Their last vacation spot is normally the Canary Islands.
“UNHCR is deeply saddened by this tragic shipwreck that has resulted within the dying and disappearance of many individuals off the coast of Mauritania,” spokesperson Shabia Mantoo mentioned. The car capsized close to Wackershot, killing a minimum of 15 folks and leaving many lacking.”
Earlier than the tragedy, about 300 folks, together with girls and youngsters, boarded a picket “canoe” in The Gambia and spent seven days at sea, in line with the U.N. migration company Worldwide Group for Migration. Ms Mantle famous this was the second deadly shipwreck within the space this month, following one in early July.
deadly threat
The so-called “Western Atlantic Ocean Route” off the coast of West Africa is among the deadliest on the planet, with hundreds of migrants and refugees drowning lately, UNHCR officers informed reporters in Geneva.
Greater than 76 ships have landed in Mauritania since June final 12 months, with some 6,130 survivors, whereas some 190 folks died at sea earlier than the 2 newest tragedies.
UN businesses and UNHCR Consultant in Mauritania Elisabeth Estes reiterated their name for worldwide help to supply authorized options for folks at risk or misery in order that they’ll cross nations and continents with out risking their lives in conditions reminiscent of this increasingly.
“What we do see is that these actions are began by people who find themselves extraordinarily susceptible, who’re in despair, and whose desperation and vulnerability are typically exploited by smugglers, traffickers or others,” Ms. Mantu mentioned. “So there are a selection of ways in which folks will take it, but it surely actually speaks to the desperation that folks resort to those journeys as a result of they do not assume there is a safer route.”
She added: “We’re calling for motion to handle this problem as a result of there have been many tragedies at sea and on land within the area and past. However there ought to certainly be accountability for anybody who income from the desperation of others.
Monitoring lacking immigrants
In accordance with the United Nations migration company, greater than 19,700 migrants irregularly arrived within the Canary Islands through this route from January 1 to July 15, 2024 alone, a rise in contrast with 7,590 migrants in the identical interval in 2023 160%.
The Worldwide Group for Migration’s Lacking Migrants Program has documented greater than 4,500 deaths and disappearances alongside the route since 2014, with greater than 950 deaths final 12 months, the second-highest dying toll on document.
