The UN agency’s comments come after reports on Monday that dozens of people were missing after a boat carrying hundreds of people capsized in waters off the Mauritania capital Nouakchott.
Recent months have seen a continued increase in the number of people departing from North and West African countries, including Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco. Their final destination is often the Canary Islands.
“United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees“The United Nations refugee agency is deeply saddened by this tragic shipwreck that has left many people dead and missing off the coast of Mauritania,” said spokesperson Shabia Mantoo. “The vessel, which was travelling along the Western Atlantic route, capsized near Nouakchott, claiming the lives of at least 15 people and many others are still missing.”
According to the United Nations migration agency, IOMAbout 300 people, including women and children, boarded a wooden “pirogue” boat in Gambia, which had been at sea for seven days before the tragedy occurred. Ms Mantoo noted that this was the second deadly shipwreck reported in the region this month, following one in early July.
Deadly Risk
The so-called “Western Atlantic route” off the coast of West Africa “is one of the most dangerous in the world, with thousands of migrants and refugees drowning in recent years,” a UNHCR official told journalists in Geneva.
Since June last year, more than 76 boats carrying some 6,130 survivors have landed in Mauritania, while some 190 people have died at sea before the two latest tragedies.
The United Nations agency and UNHCR Representative in Mauritania, Elizabeth Eyster, has reiterated its call on the international community to support legal solutions for people in danger or in dire situations so that they can move across countries and continents without risking their lives, as is increasingly common.
“We see this phenomenon of extremely vulnerable people making these journeys, they are desperate, and their desperation and vulnerability is sometimes exploited by traffickers, traffickers, others,” said Ms Mantoo. “So there are different methods that are used, but really it speaks to the desperation of people who have to make these journeys because they simply believe there is no safer route.”
“We are calling for action to address this issue because there have been many tragedies in this region and elsewhere at sea and on land. But there really must be accountability for anyone who profits from the desperation of others,” she added.
Missing migrants tracked
According to the UN migration agency, between January 1 and July 15, 2024 alone, more than 19,700 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands via this route compared to the same period in 2023, when only 7,590 migrants were recorded – an increase of 160 percent.
of IOM Missing Migrants Project There have been more than 4,500 deaths and disappearances on the route since 2014, including more than 950 deaths last year, the second-highest death toll on record.
Tragic news from Yemen
IOM only reported Twelve people were killed and four were missing after a shipwreck off the coast of Yemen early Wednesday morning.
Survivors said the boat was carrying 20 Ethiopian migrants, mostly from the Tigray region, when it capsized due to strong winds and engine failure.
There were 22 people on board and six survived, including the Yemeni captain and his assistant. Two bodies, a man and a woman, were found and buried by local authorities.
IOM said a recent military campaign in Yemen targeting smuggling networks and increased coastal patrols had significantly reduced the number of migrants arriving from Djibouti and Somalia, but trafficking continued, highlighting the need for comprehensive strategies to tackle the problem.
“The alarming rise in shipwrecks and migrant deaths is a stark reminder of the dangers facing those fleeing desperate conditions,” said Matt Huber, IOM Acting Head of Mission in Yemen.
