Mauritanian authorities have reported the interception, off their coast, of a vessel originating from Gambia carrying 110 migrants, including three minors. The boat suffered an engine failure, which led the people on board to issue a distress signal directed at the Mauritanian Coast Guard.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime and Port Infrastructure of Mauritania detailed in a statement disseminated on social media that the vessel had set sail from Banjul, the capital of Gambia, and was located on Tuesday night off the coast of Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital.
According to the statement, the rescue operation, "carried out with a high degree of professionalism despite difficult weather conditions," allowed for the rescue of the 110 occupants of the dinghy, including 80 citizens from Mali, twelve from Senegal, ten from Gambia, four from Mauritania, three from Ivory Coast, and one Nigerian.
"The Mauritanian Coast Guard treated all rescued migrants in line with applicable legal and humanitarian procedures, in line with national and international obligations on maritime search and rescue operations and the protection of lives at sea," the Ministry remarked in its note.
This operation took place just two days after Mauritanian authorities reported the rescue, also off Nouakchott, of nearly 150 migrants traveling in another vessel that had also reportedly departed from Gambia, in a context of increased departures of migrant groups attempting to reach European territory via the Canary Islands.
Mauritania has consolidated itself as one of the main departure points on the Atlantic route to Europe, characterized by strong currents and classified as one of the most dangerous to reach the continent, with a notable increase in crossings in recent years and the Canary Islands as the main destination.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicates on its website that, since 2014, around 6,600 people have lost their lives or are listed as missing on this route, a figure surpassed only by that of the Sahara Desert, where more than 7,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented.