A boat with 35 migrants from the Maghreb region that was headed toward the Canary Islands capsized on Tuesday, emergency services said. At least 8 people were found dead and some are still missing, they said, adding that emergency services are still looking for a second boat. Migrant arrivals in Spain's Canary Islands have surged to 17,000 this year – 10 times last year’s total – as North Africans grow desperate after losing their income from tourism, a sector hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The surge in migration from West Africa to the Canary Islands has come at a high cost. West Africa provides the strongest example of intraregional migration flows in sub-Saharan Africa, with 70% of migratory movements mainly linked to employment taking place within the subregion.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 25, 2020 09:33 UTC