On December 19, 2024, a makeshift vessel carrying an estimated 80 migrants sank off the coast of Morocco, taking the lives of 69 individuals, among them 25 people from Mali. This heartrending incident adds to the grim tally of 2024, which has been declared the deadliest year for maritime migration to Spain.
The Ministry of Malians Abroad confirmed the tragedy, stating that only a handful of survivors were rescued, nine of whom were from Mali. The majority of the victims hailed from the Kayes region in western Mali. The Ministry also announced the creation of a crisis unit to oversee the situation, in an official statement.
According to Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish group advocating for migration rights, the incident is an “unacceptable tragedy.” The organization has tallied 10,457 migrant deaths or disappearances in attempts to reach Spain by sea in the year 2024. This represents a distressing 58% increase from the previous year.
Caminando Fronteras attributed the deaths to a variety of factors, including the neglect of rescue obligations, the prioritization of migration control over preserving life, outsourcing of border control to resource-strapped nations, and the lack of action and consistency in rescue efforts. The organization also pointed to the use of unreliable boats, increasingly perilous routes, and inadequate maritime rescue services as crucial contributors to these tragedies.
The Atlantic migration route to Spain’s Canary Islands was particularly lethal in 2024, with 9,757 deaths recorded, earning it the dubious title of “the deadliest in the world.” Mauritania was identified as the main departure point for migrants targeting the Canary Islands that year, as reported by Caminando Fronteras, the Spanish migration rights group.
With 41,425 arrivals between January and November 2024, Spanish authorities have documented record-high numbers, eclipsing the previous record of 39,910 in 2023. Spain, along with Italy and Greece, is one of Europe’s three major points of entry for migrants, with 60,216 irregular entries recorded between January 1 and December 15, 2024. This represents a 14.5% increase from the previous year.
Victims in 2024 were from 28 nations, mostly African, but also included individuals from Iraq and Pakistan, according to Caminando Fronteras. The aid group noted that 1,538 children and 421 women were among the deceased. The instability in Mali, resulting from jihadist insurgency and military coups since 2012, along with unemployment and the impact of climate change on agricultural communities, has been a significant driver of migration from the country.
Between January 1 and December 15, 2024, 60,216 migrants arrived in Spain by sea, marking a 14.5% increase from 2023, according to the country’s Interior Ministry. Caminando Fronteras revealed that the Atlantic route through Mauritanian and Moroccan waters remained the primary path for migrants, with an average of 30 deaths per day recorded throughout 2024. This is the highest toll since the organization started tracking maritime migration deaths in 2007.
