- Sea routes along northwestern Africa have for years been used by thousands of Africans trying to reach Europe via the Canary Islands, which lie off the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara
NOUAKCHOTT: Mauritania’s navy has rescued 134 people on a boat trying to get to Spain’s Canary Islands, the military said in a statement on Sunday.
The migrants — 118 men, 14 women and two children, of different nationalities — were picked up off the coast from the port city of Nouadhibou on Saturday, the statement said.
It did not give their nationalities or details on their state of health.
Sea routes along northwestern Africa have for years been used by thousands of Africans trying to reach Europe via the Canary Islands, which lie off the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara.
The Mauritanian military said the rescue operation was part of its efforts “to save lives at sea, fight against irregular immigration, fight against the smuggling of immigrants and reinforcing maritime safety and security.”
Hundreds of people have been rescued off Mauritania in recent months, most of them from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea and Mali.
Thousands of people have died or gone missing in their attempts to reach Europe.
