More than 9,000 migrants have arrived in the Spanish Canary Islands since November
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Al Jazeera, TimesLIVE and Sowetan
Madrid has declared a migration emergency in the Canary Islands, where more than 9,000 people have arrived since the start of November. On Saturday alone, 1,488 migrants were rescued at sea from 14 boats, a daily record since 2020, according to Al Jazeera.
The total exceeds the previous daily record: the daily maximum dated back to 7 November 2020, when 1,461 people were rescued near the archipelago, according to Spanish maritime rescue services. Among the occupants of a single boat on Saturday were 12 women and 36 children, out of 240 people in total.
Twelve boats docked at El Hierro, a small island in the archipelago, another at Gran Canaria and a third at Tenerife. Most of the migrants come from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Conakry. Once landed, they receive initial care at a reception centre, before being dispatched to other islands or to the mainland.
Arrivals have accelerated since October, a period when sea conditions are generally calmer and more favourable for the crossing. From January to 31 October, however, arrivals remain 5.5% lower than a year earlier, according to government data. This sudden surge puts pressure on the reception facilities of some islands, especially the smallest and least populated ones.
Ángel Víctor Torres, Spain’s minister in charge of territorial policy, travels to El Hierro on Sunday to assess the situation. This flow comes despite the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, in force since 12 June 2026. This route linking West Africa to the Canary Islands is considered one of the most dangerous in the world, and thousands of people attempt the crossing every year in overloaded boats.
