Mauritania rescues over 1,100 migrants in ten days as Atlantic route revives

Mauritanian coast guard officials reported that 1,187 migrants were rescued at sea between 28 May and 9 June 2026, bringing the total number of people saved since the start of the year to 1,417. The rescues reflect a sharp resurgence of attempts to cross the Atlantic route toward the Spanish Canary Islands after a lull that ended around the end‑May Tabaski celebrations. The intercepted boats are increasingly departing from more southerly West‑African coasts such as Guinea and the Gambia, a shift attributed to heightened controls by Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco.

All rescued individuals were transferred to temporary reception centres for foreigners in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, funded by the European Union and intended to assess eligibility for international protection within a maximum stay of 72 hours. Ahmed Moulaye, director of the irregular migration unit of the Mauritanian coast guard, warned that “at this rate, arrivals could reach an unprecedented level this year,” while a European diplomat in Nouakchott noted that, so far, there have been “zero arrivals in the Canaries.”