Mauritanian authorities have reported the rescue of nearly 125 migrants traveling in a new boat located off the coast of the town of Nuamghar, bringing the number of people intercepted in Mauritanian waters in the last two weeks to around a thousand.
In a statement released on social media, the Mauritanian Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime and Port Infrastructure explained that the boat was sighted on Tuesday off the aforementioned town and specified that it had departed from the capital of Gambia, Banjul, with 124 occupants, including thirteen minors.
The Mauritanian department detailed that on board were 52 citizens from Gambia, 45 from Senegal, 15 from Mali, six people from Guinea Conakry, five from Ivory Coast, and one national from Burkina Faso. Likewise, it emphasized that Mauritanian teams "immediately provided humanitarian aid and medical attention" to the migrants after their location.
Mauritania has consolidated itself as one of the main departure points on the Atlantic migratory route, characterized by its strong currents and considered one of the most dangerous towards Europe, with a significant increase in departures in recent years and the Canary Islands as the main destination.
According to data published on the website of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), since 2014, around 6,600 people have died or disappeared on this Atlantic corridor, a figure only surpassed by that recorded in the Sahara Desert, where more than 7,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented.