The European Union is planning to offer 210 million euros to help Mauritania curb illegal migration to the Canary Islands, which reported a record number of arrivals last year. The batch includes €60 million to be allocated to migration management, the Financial Times reported. The rest will be invested in security, economic development, and humanitarian aid in Mauritania, which emerged as the main departure point for West African migrants bound for the Canary Islands. In the first two months of 2024, almost 12,000 people arrived on the Canary Islands by boat, according to the Spanish interior ministry, compared to fewer than 2,000 in the same period last year. Last year, the Canary Islands accounted for most arrivals in Spain with near 40,000, compared with 56,852 migrants that entered the country by land or sea in 2023.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 08, 2024 12:13 UTC