Sea accidents on the migration route from West Africa to the Canary Islands 2018-2020
In recent years, more African migrants have been taking the sea route from the coasts of West Africa to the Canary Islands, the closest territory of the European Union to West Africa. The main nationalities of people crossing the Atlantic route are Mali, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal. Tracking migration routes is complex, and the actual number of deaths is difficult to determine precisely. However, between January and November 2020, 545 ships or boats carrying immigrants were reported as reaching the Canary Islands. During these months, there were 40 incidents by which over 500 people lost their life or disappeared at sea.
