Several migrants wait to disembark from a wooden boat in the port of Arguineguin, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, October 20, 2024. [Photo/Agencies]Against the backdrop of increasing anti-migration sentiment across Europe, Spain's coastguard conducted a rescue operation off the Canary Islands on Sunday, saving 231 migrants, including 14 women and three children, who had crammed into a dangerously overcrowded boat. After coastguards had discovered the migrants close to Gran Canaria's main port, they towed the wooden boat to safety. According to government figures, 32,878 migrants have taken the treacherous boat route from West Africa to the Canary Islands between January and Oct 15, a rise of 39.7 percent from the same period last year. In recent years, irregular migration via the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands has increased more rapidly than any other.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 21, 2024 20:09 UTC