Moroccan navy rescues 141 migrants off Dakhla

A patrol unit of the Moroccan royal navy rescued 141 Sub-Saharan migrants, including 3 women and 2 children, off the southern city of Dakhla on February 18.

The migrant-loaded boat sailed from Mauritania en route to Canary Islands when the royal navy unit was asked for assistance by the national center for coordination and maritime rescue.

The rescue took 14 hours in total due to bad weather conditions, the royal navy said in a statement.

Mauritania has become a major departure point for migrants hoping to reach the Canary Islands.

Spanish officials say that 8 out of ten migrant boats depart from Mauritania. Last year, the Canary Islands accounted for most arrivals in Spain with nearly 40,000, compared with 56,852 migrants that entered the country by land or sea in 2023.

The number of migrants from West Africa who braved the sea in fragile boats to reach Spain’s Canary Islands jumped more than 1,000% in January from a year ago.

In contrast, thanks to increased monitoring by Moroccan patrols, the number of arrivals into Spanish occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla dropped by 62% to six attempts involving 1400 migrants in 2023.