Since 2018, the Atlantic route has witnessed a significant resurgence regarding departures and arrivals in the Canary Islands. This route encompasses a large area of West Africa, with most departures observed between the Gambia and Morocco along this extensive coastline spanning several hundred kilometers. These people on the move aim to reach Spain via the Canary Islands, which serves as the gateway to Europe, much like Lampedusa does for Italy on the Central Mediterranean route. This Spanish archipelago, comprising seven islands, concentrates the majority of arrivals into Spanish territory. In 2024, 46,843 people landed in this area off the coast of the Old Continent.
Like any maritime migration, this route presents many risks and challenges, making it a hazardous and deadly migratory space for those undertaking the journey. The distance to be covered remains one of the primary difficulties for migrants. Indeed, several hundred kilometers are necessary to reach the Spanish archipelago from the African coasts. This maritime zone is particularly hazardous, with intense currents. The area of interest is subject to the Canary Current, which is a very cold coastal current in the Atlantic Ocean, located between the northwest coast of Africa and the North Atlantic Current. It crosses the Canary Islands, follows the coast, separates, and opens up upon reaching Cape Verde and then the Caribbean to arrive at the Gulf Stream and subsequently Europe; it almost makes a round trip to return to the Canary Islands. The prevailing winds are similar, meaning they also head westward. If a ship breaks down, the current and wind will move it towards America. These currents and the Trade Winds, which regularly blow from east to west, remain more or less stable throughout the year, except for September and October when the weather is calm and there is practically no wind in the islands. This is favorable for makeshift boats.
The pirogues are often overcrowded, typically traditional, and not adapted to the distance to be covered, leading to multiple problems during the crossing.
This vast maritime migratory space possesses several particularities that make it a unique and challenging area to access:
- The multiplication of Search and Rescue Regions (SRRs) and state actors involved in Search and Rescue (SAR) on the route taken by migrants. The zone traverses different SRRs with varying state response capacities that are not necessarily adapted to the growing needs in this area.
- As explained earlier, the risk of getting lost at sea is high, as strong marine currents can carry boats attempting the crossing in directions other than those initially intended.
- The number of deaths and disappearances in this zone continues to increase yearly due to the surge in departures from the West African coasts. The data from the United Nations remains far from that of international organizations but shows that the Atlantic route is one of the deadliest in the world. In 2024, the IOM recorded 1,086 deaths or disappearances, compared to 9,757 reported by the organization Caminando Fronteras.
Picture: Fishing wooden boats in Senegal, Camille Brunel
This deadly route continues to grow in terms of the number of arrivals on Spanish soil, highlighting its importance in the current maritime migratory system. Nevertheless, the humanitarian and civil response remains timid despite the number of deaths and disappearances recorded each year. It seems necessary and crucial that this route gains visibility and interest from the various international actors working on maritime migration. It seems essential at this stage that additional actors operate in this maritime space despite the different challenges:
- The permanent and perpetual increase in support from the European Union to the countries of departure to limit population movements and continue the externalization of European borders.
- On the one hand, the humanitarian space is very large, with different countries involved, but the space that the countries of departure and arrival could leave for international actors seems restricted.
- The multiplicity of departure points along the African coast, with departures increasingly from lower points—departures from Guinea-Bissau have also been noted—makes the operational zone complex to apprehend.
Despite the numerous challenges inherent to this route, it seems evident that the possibility of intervening in the zone to limit the number of deaths at sea and advocating with the competent authorities to make this route a priority should be explored.
Camille Brunel, SOS Méditerranée
