Authorities in Laayoune, Morocco have been subjecting sub-Saharan migrants to constant harassment, an Ivorian in the city has told InfoMigrants. He said scores of migrants are being arrested and detained every day and "danger is everywhere."
The Spanish rescue organization Open Arms’ sailing boat Astral set out on its 91st mission earlier this week. Already, it has located more than 100 migrants and transferred them to the Italian coast guard’s care.
Eleven people have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Algeria. Five others – including two children – were rescued, having spent 14 hours at sea.
Migrants have been arriving on Spain’s Canary Islands at a staggering pace in recent days. While most were rescued at sea, some actually managed to arrive on the archipelago of their own accord.
Over the last two days, Spanish marine rescue services reported that they rescued 72 migrants from two separate boats. At least 28 are thought to still be missing from another boat found about 120 kilometers south of Gran Canaria.
Spain and Morocco are seeking to cooperate in reducing irregular border crossings after resolving a year-long diplomatic crisis over a dispute relating to the territory of Western Sahara.
Around 25 people -- including several babies -- are feared dead after their boat capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off Spain's Canary Islands on Monday. The Spanish coast guard rescued 36 people from the stricken dinghy.
At the end of last week, Spain and Morocco initiated a new phase of bilateral relations between the two countries. More economic cooperation, new flight routes and a warmer political climate are planned. In return, Spain reportedly wants to fly back to Morocco migrants who do not qualify for asylum.
The number of people attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands from Africa continues to rise, but at a huge cost. One in five deaths or disappearances of migrants recorded by the UN last year happened on the Atlantic Ocean route.
Around 25 people are believed to have died during an attempt to reach the Canary Islands by boat. Survivors said the bodies of the dead were thrown overboard.
A convoy of almost 30 taxis from Madrid drove a round-trip of almost 6,000 kilometers to ferry 140 Ukrainians fleeing war from the Polish border back to Spain.
More than 4,000 African migrants died in 2021 while trying to reach the Canary Islands by boat, according to some sources. There have never been so many deaths as now, aid workers are saying.