28 boats around Christmas: More than 1,700 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands

According to media reports, more than 1,700 migrants arrived irregularly on the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain, over Christmas. More than 500 people had to be rescued from distress at sea off Lanzarote, among other places, reported the Spanish state broadcaster RTVE.

During the year, more than 45,000 people reached the archipelago on this Atlantic route, which is considered one of the deadliest migration routes, wrote the newspaper “El Mundo”, citing the representation of the Spanish central government in the Canary Islands.

In 2024 there will be a particularly large number of boats from Mauritania

In the four days between Christmas Eve and Saturday, 28 boats arrived in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and El Hierro, El Mundo continued. The number of people’s countries of origin is increasing as there are more and more conflicts on the African continent, such as in Chad, said a doctor from the organization Doctors Without Borders RTVE. The Spanish aid organization Caminando Fronteras said it observed an increasing number of boats leaving Mauritania’s coast in 2024.

An estimated nearly 10,000 people drowned

The Canary Islands are closer to the coast of West Africa than mainland Europe. The situation makes it seem within reach for people looking for a way into the EU – and possibly other European countries. According to Caminando Fronteras estimates, more than 9,700 people, including children and young people, died on this migration route alone this year. Many residents of the Canary Islands and the regional government feel overwhelmed by the large number of arrivals.

There is also criticism that the central government in Madrid is letting them down when it comes to supply, accommodation and distribution of people to other Spanish regions. Only recently, the head of government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, called on the new EU Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, to prioritize the archipelago when allocating EU funds to implement the asylum pact. He also invited Brunner to take a look at the situation on site.