Pedro Sánchez began his tour in Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia with the aim of reducing migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands, with the target of September, when more cayucos tend to set sail across the Atlantic towards the islands due to the better maritime conditions. in the region. With his visit, the president seeks to increase border collaboration between key countries on the migrants’ route to Spain, at a time when irregular entries have increased by 66%, especially due to the worsening of the Malian refugee crisis and the shift in migratory flows. towards Europe, which emerged after the agreement reached between the EU and Tunisia, which protected the passage to Italy by this route.
The main axis of the journey is to Mauritania, which in 2024 will become the main country of departure for cayucos bound for the Canary Islands and, in turn, one of the main host countries for Malian refugees. This North African country has received hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Mali, reducing its resources and its capacity to control its external borders. The Spanish government intends to find new avenues of cooperation, such as circular migration programs, and will seek formulas to give its authorities more resources to block exits from its coasts.
The worsening of the conflict in Mali has been observed in the migratory flow towards the Spanish coasts in 2024, particularly at the entrances to the Canary Islands. Among the nationalities detected in the sea crossings to Spain, Malian is the one that has increased the most so far this year, already surpassing Moroccan and Senegalese, according to police sources. The geographical location of Mauritania and the reception of the majority of Malian refugees have prompted thousands of displaced people to seek to reach Europe, where they intend to find better reception conditions than those received in the saturated camps of this North African country. The protection needs of Malians are ratified upon their arrival in Spain: Malian is the nationality that has received the most positive responses among the asylum applications filed this year on Spanish soil.
Alongside the Malians, the Senegalese and Moroccans also stand out for their arrivals on the Spanish coasts, common nationalities on the migratory route to Europe, which due to the increased control of Morocco and Senegal on the route to Spain; In addition to the closure of the route to Italy via Tunisia, they were able to consider Mauritania as their springboard to Europe.
The increase in irregular entries into Spain in 2024 also coincides with the reduction in arrivals in Italy, an apparent effect of the migration agreement signed by the EU with Tunisia, harshly criticized by NGOs such as Amnesty International, due to the documented abuses against human rights in the country, especially those of migrants. The allocation of 105 million to this North African country has helped reduce migratory transit to Italy, where arrivals have fallen by 66%. These types of agreements, however, usually have a rebound effect, due to the oscillating nature of migratory movements. When one door closes, experts say, another opens. And now it is Spain’s turn again.
If in 2023 157,651 migrants reached the Italian coasts, this year 38,926 people have done so. This figure is still lower than the crossings recorded in Spain, which has welcomed 31,155 men, women and children aboard cayucos so far this year, but the route to our coasts is increasing while traffic to other ports in Spain has decreased (Italy and Greece).
The reception situation in Mauritania
Along with Libya, Mauritania is the only country that occupies the first place in the North African region, both as a host country and as a transmitter, to or from another African country. In the first case, and according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in 2023, more than 114,000 Malians arrived at the Mauritanian borders via one of the busiest land routes to Europe. In early 2024, the European Union allocated 210 million euros to Mauritania with the aim of reducing human trafficking and thus dissuading ships leaving the Atlantic.
In recent years, Mauritania has avoided terrorist turbulence and the arrival of other actors such as Russia and the Wagner Group. Compared to its Sahel partners, Mauritania has remained safe from jihadist violence thanks to agreements with radical groups, the strengthening of deployed military capacities, and religious dialogue. While enjoying a certain stability, Mauritania has become one of the most important transit countries in the region.
The conflict in Mali and the anti-immigration agreement between Tunisia and the European Union in 2023 – which reduced arrivals to Italy by 66% – have intensified the Canary Islands route, with Mauritania as the main exit point. The war in Mali broke out in 2012 after the intensification of clashes between Tuareg rebels and jihadist groups, particularly in the north of the country. The offensive by the Malian army, supported by Wagner’s Russian mercenaries, has provoked waves of violence against civilians, as well as the extension of the conflict to new regions of the country.
The Mberra refugee camp in eastern Mauritania, bordering Mali, currently hosts 109,457 refugees, according to the latest data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Among them, 83% are women and children, and in July 2024 alone, just over 1,000 Malians arrived at the IDP camp. The Malian population arriving in Mberra justifies their displacement by reasons of food security, conflicts between communities, attacks by armed groups and generalized violence and insecurity.
Political change in Senegal
Since the arrival of the new government of Diomaye Faye in Senegal, this West African country has shown a downward trend in migration, while Mauritania is growing. The country is preceded by four years of deep political and social crisis, with protests that left dozens dead, thousands injured and thousands more activists and opponents imprisoned. The previous mandate of Macky Sall, former president of the country, exacerbated the departures of pirogues to the Canary Islands, which intensified especially after the outbreak of the crisis in March 2020.
The Faye cabinet, pan-Africanist, left-wing and far removed from French policies linked to the colonial legacy, offers a more promising future to Senegalese youth. Added to this are the efforts of the authorities themselves, as well as the Spanish security forces in this African country, to contain the departure of pirogues. At the end of June 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, went to Dakar to consolidate measures focused on the retention of migration, particularly through education and employment. Albares then announced a plan of 180 million euros for the next four years.
For its part, Gambia, the smallest country in West Africa, is also part of President Sánchez’s African tour. This is the first time that a president of the Spanish government has visited the country. In the context of immigration and according to police sources, Gambia stands out as a transit country. Although it has experienced major periods of political instability with Yayha Jammeh’s coup in 1994, the country has gradually regained stability following the democratic election of the current president, Adama Barrow.
