The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said on 21 July 2026 it was “extremely saddened” after 144 migrants died or went missing in two separate boat incidents off the coast of Mauritania between 14 and 18 July 2026, while attempting to reach Europe.
The Agency said 387 people were rescued during the incidents. Mauritania’s coast guard reported that 122 people went missing after a boat carrying 160 migrants from The Gambia to Spain’s Canary Islands ran out of fuel and drifted at sea for 25 days.
In a separate incident on 18 July 2026, the coast guard rescued 179 people who had departed from Senegal. Authorities did not immediately explain the discrepancy between their figures and those released by the UNHCR.
Mauritania has become a key departure point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa seeking to reach Europe, with the route to the Canary Islands regarded by the UN as one of the world’s deadliest because of the long journey and the use of overcrowded, unseaworthy boats.
