Mauritania and the EU have finalized a migration deal valued at $230 million intended to help the African nation curb illegal migration to Europe and crack down on human smuggling networks.
Mauritania is a significant departure point for people seeking to reach Europe through Spain’s Canary Islands.
In January alone, Spain estimates 110 boats arrived carrying 7,270 migrants on the islands’ shores, with more than 80 percent of them from Mauritania.
"Our nation, will not be a country for irregular migrants, and the European Union agrees with that,” said Mauritania’s Minister for the Economy and Sustainable Development, Abdessalam Ould Mohamed Saleh.
Around 6,000 migrants lost their lives attempting to reach the Canary Islands last year, according to NGO Caminando Fronteras.
“The route from Mauritania to the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest and most dangerous you can take,” said Ylva Johansson European Commissioner for Home Affairs “This is why it is of crucial importance that we reinforce our partnership and also include support for the border management and for search-and-rescue.”
This agreement mirrors a similar deal the EU signed with Tunisia last July.
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