A tragedy unfolds in the sea off the Canary Islands. In a few hours, several boats full of migrants reach El Hierro; six people can only be brought ashore. The crisis is overwhelming the Canary Islands – and is now endangering Spain's territorial cohesion.
The migration tragedy off the Canary Islands never ends. In the past few hours, four boats with a total of 284 people on board have arrived on the small island of El Hierro. Six did not survive the crossing from Nouakschott, the capital of Mauritania. Her death once again highlights the human drama that has been unfolding on the so-called Atlantic route for weeks.
The first boat reached the port of La Restinga on Tuesday evening at 9:18 p.m., accompanied by the rescue workers from the Salvamar Adhara. 67 people were noticed on board: 46 men, nine women and twelve children from Mali, Egypt, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. They left Nouakschott four days ago under extremely difficult conditions. Two hours later, the same rescue workers found a second boat around 15 kilometers off El Hierro. 74 people were on board, including 69 men, three women and two children from Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast. They too had set sail four days ago.
The third boat arrived at the port at 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday with 81 men from Mali, Senegal, Bangladesh and Gambia. Five could only be brought ashore. Twelve people were taken to the island's hospital, and another twelve received medical care directly at the pier. The fourth boat was intercepted by Guardamar Polimnia rescue workers about 93 kilometers from El Hierro. Of the 62 inmates from Mali, Gambia, Mauritania and Senegal, one did not survive.
The deaths of that night add to a whole chain of tragedies in a year that has broken all records in the history of migration to the Canary Islands. 41,425 people arrived here by November, 17 percent more than in the same period last year. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimate that 700 people have already died this year while trying to reach the Canary Islands.
The islands' rescue and reception capacities have long since exceeded their limits: overcrowded centers, exhausted rescue personnel and a population that is gradually being overwhelmed by all solidarity. The situation is particularly critical on El Hierro, the smallest Canary Island with limited infrastructure.
And real political solutions are missing. The authorities in the Canary Islands feel left alone to deal with the crisis and have repeatedly sent calls for help to Madrid and Brussels. But a meeting last week in Madrid between the Spanish government, the main opposition Partido Popular (PP), and the presidents of the autonomous regions of the Canary Islands and Ceuta ended without concrete agreements. The positions are too far apart and the political blockade is exacerbating an untenable humanitarian situation.
The meeting, which was actually called to ease migration pressure on the Christian borders, ended in frustration. Participants reported mutual accusations between representatives of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government, the Socialist Party (PSOE), and the leaders of the conservative PP.
The government had proposed changing the legal framework to allow better coordination between autonomous communities, facilitate the relocation of migrants across the country and speed up the administrative process for new arrivals. However, the PP argues that these measures are inadequate and could even encourage migration to Spain.
The presidents of the Canary Islands and Ceuta urgently called for a common solution to be found, even if they themselves consult different parties. “This is not about ideologies, but about human lives and communities that are on the verge of collapse,” said Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo.
Meanwhile, the number of arrivals continues to rise, and not just in the Canary Islands. The pressure is also enormous in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. This is where unaccompanied minors and people trying to cross the land border with Morocco come.
The lack of political solutions is not only putting the communities' reception systems beyond bearable limits, but is now also endangering territorial cohesion in Spain. The communities most affected by the migration crisis regularly declare that they cannot cope with the last ones alone and call for a fair distribution at the national level. And while politicians argue, the sea continues to claim lives.
