At least 69 migrants dead after boat sank off Morocco

At least 69 people died, including 25 Malian nationals, after a boat headed from West Africa to Spain capsized off Morocco on 19 December, Malian authorities said.

The makeshift boat was carrying around 80 people when it capsized. Around 80 migrants were on board the vessel heading for Spain, with “25 young Malians unfortunately identified among the victims”, the government said in a statement.

Only 11 survived, the Ministry of Malians abroad said in a statement on Thursday after collecting information to reconstruct the incident.

A crisis unit has been set up to monitor the situation and will report any further updates, it added.

The Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands, typically used by African migrants trying to reach Spain, has seen a surge this year.

Years of conflict in the Sahel region, which includes Mali, unemployment, and the impact of climate change on farming communities, are among the reasons people attempt the crossing.

The route, which traces the Atlantic coasts of Mauritania and Morocco up to Spain, is one of the deadliest in the world.

An unprecedented nearly 5,000 migrants died at sea in the first five months of 2024 trying to reach the Spanish archipelago, migration rights group Walking Borders said in June. 

Thousands of migrants attempt perilous sea crossings from African shores each year, often in flimsy makeshift vessels, in hopes of reaching Europe.

Over 10,400 migrants have died trying to reach Spain since 2024, including a record number heading for the Canary Islands, the Spanish migration NGO Caminando Fronteras said in a report on Thursday.

That was an average of about 30 a day, making it the deadliest year in the organisation’s records.

At their closest point, the Canaries lie 100 kilometres (62 miles) off the coast of North Africa.

The shortest route is between the coastal town of Tarfaya in southern Morocco and the Canary island of Fuerteventura.

But to avoid controls, smugglers sometimes take longer, more dangerous journeys, navigating west into the open Atlantic before turning north to the Canaries.

The Atlantic route is particularly deadly, with many of the crowded, poorly equipped boats unable to cope with the strong ocean currents.

Some boats depart African beaches as far as 1,000 kilometres from the Canaries.

Mali has been suffering a serious security crisis since 2012, facing attacks from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organisation, as well as by separatist movements and criminal gangs.

The International Organisation for Migration, a UN agency, estimates that since 2014, more than 16,400 migrants have died trying to reach Europe from Africa, a figure that includes those headed to the Canary Islands.