On December 19, 2024, a makeshift boat carrying an estimated 80 migrants met with a fatal accident off the coast of Morocco, resulting in the death of 69 individuals. Among the deceased were 25 Malian nationals. This tragic incident has pushed 2024 to become the deadliest year for maritime migration to Spain.
According to an official release by the Ministry of Malians Abroad, there were only a few survivors, nine of whom were from Mali. Most of the victims hailed from the Kayes region in western Mali. The ministry announced the formation of a crisis unit to monitor the situation.
This incident adds another grim chapter to what the Spanish migration rights group, Caminando Fronteras, describes as an “unacceptable tragedy.” In 2024, 10,457 migrants lost their lives or disappeared en route to Spain by sea, marking a 58% increase from the previous year.
Caminando Fronteras attributed these deaths to various factors including failure to execute timely rescue operations, prioritizing migration control over human life, outsourcing border control to countries lacking sufficient resources, and inadequate action in rescue scenarios. It also underlined the use of fragile vessels, increasingly precarious routes, and lacking maritime rescue services as contributing elements.
The perilous Atlantic migration route to Spain’s Canary Islands emerged as particularly lethal in 2024. As per Caminando Fronteras, 9,757 fatalities were recorded on this route, making it the “deadliest in the world.” Mauritania was identified as the main departure point for migrants heading to the Canary Islands.
In 2024, Spanish authorities documented record-breaking numbers, with 41,425 arrivals between January and November, surpassing the previous year’s record of 39,910. Spain, alongside Italy and Greece, is one of Europe’s three major migrant entry points, tallying 60,216 irregular entries from January 1 to December 15, 2024, reflecting a 14.5% increase from 2023.
Victims in 2024 hailed from 28 different countries, predominantly from Africa, but also included individuals from Iraq and Pakistan. Among the deceased were 1,538 children and 421 women, as reported by the aid group. A key factor for migration from Mali was the country’s instability since 2012, marked by jihadist insurgency and military coups, making governance challenging. Unemployment and the effects of climate change on farming communities further fueled migration attempts.
Spain’s Interior Ministry reported a 14.5% increase in maritime arrivals to 60,216 migrants between January 1 and December 15, 2024, compared to the previous year. Caminando Fronteras data revealed that the Atlantic route through Mauritanian and Moroccan waters remained the most frequented, accounting for an average of 30 deaths per day throughout 2024. This is the highest toll since the organization started tracking maritime migration deaths in 2007.