Nearly 1,600 migrants arrived on the Spain’s Canary Islands in one day, Spanish news agency EFE reported Sunday, using tallies from the Spanish government’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society.
What do we know so far about the migrant arrivals on the Canaries?
Most of the 1,580 migrants who came ashore on Saturday landed on the island of El Hierro. They arrived aboard 15 wooden fishing boats.
Most of the migrants came from West African countries such as SenegalGambia, and Guinea. Between Friday and Saturday, over 2,300 migrants in total arrived on the islands, according to the Spanish authorities.
The Canary Islands, whose shortest gap with Africa is around 100 kilometers (around 62 miles), faces a migration crisis.
Spanish Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres Perez visited the town of La Restinga on Sunday, which lies on the southernmost tip of El Hierro. She met with residents of the town and thanked them for “their solidarity and commitment” as the island witnesses a large number of migrant arrivals.
“The Government of Spain continues to work to ensure that this surge in migration is managed with humanity and with the island’s residents in mind,” she posted on X. El Hierro has a population of nearly 12,000 people.
Although the Canary Islands a large number of migrants arriving on its shores over the weekend, overall migration to the islands is down 5.5% between January and October 31 from the same period last year.
Canary Island arrivals surge come after recent Ceuta crisis
The surge in latest arrivals to the Canary Islands comes after another Spanish territory, Ceuta, faced a migration crisis in late July.
An estimated 80,000 people, mostly young Moroccan men, crossed into Ceuta from neighboring Morocco. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), has faced criticism from the opposition over his handling of the crisis.
Migration, along with housing, are expected to be major topics for voters as they head for snap elections in Spain later this month.
Source: www.dw.com
