143‑Dead Shipwreck Off Mauritania Reignites Atlantic Migration Debate

Seventeen people were rescued 60 km north of Nouakchott on Thursday, 28 August, after a week‑long voyage from Gambia. After several days of searching, 70 dead have been confirmed among the 143 people who remain missing. The Canary Islands branch of CCOO denounced that “hate in politics kills.”

The Mauritanian Coast Guard has recovered 70 bodies and rescued 17 survivors from a capsized canoe that set out from Gambia in mid‑August bound for the Canary Islands. The total toll is estimated at 143 victims – dead and missing.

The tragedy off Mauritania’s coast is one of the highest death tolls on the Atlantic route in recent years. The vessel left Gambia with 160 people on board and sank after several days at sea. According to the EFE news agency, at least 70 corpses were recovered and 17 people survived; the rest are still missing, bringing the estimated total to 143 victims, as reported by Helena Maleno of the NGO Caminando Fronteras and cited by Canarias 7.

The incident occurred on Thursday, 28 August 2025, off the town of M’haijratt, about 60 km north of Nouakchott. Initial reports from EFE mentioned 17 survivors and about twenty bodies; a day later the figure was updated to 70 recovered bodies. Canarias 7 added that the boat had departed Gambia between 20 and 21 August and had been at sea for six days before wrecking near the coast, a timeline confirmed by Maleno.

CCOO Canarias’ Position

In a statement issued on 29 August, CCOO Canarias expressed its condolences and condemned the brutality of the Atlantic route, calling for the creation of safe and legal migration pathways, as well as dignified reception policies that respect human rights. The union denounced racism and xenophobia, explicitly naming political formations such as Vox and warning against hate speech that dehumanises migrants.

The union’s communiqué listed the following demands:

• Urgent need for legal and safe migration routes that prevent thousands of people from risking their lives on inhumane journeys.
• Obligation of Europe and the Spanish State to establish dignified, solidary, and human‑rights‑respecting reception policies that do not criminalise or degrade those seeking a better life.
• Strong condemnation of racism and xenophobia. CCOO rejected the intolerant remarks of VOX leader Santiago Abascal, who “once again insulted the memory and dignity of migrants.” The union described such hate speech as “based on lies and manipulation, aimed at dividing society, sowing fear and blaming those who are only trying to survive.”

“Hate kills, and politics must not be complicit in dehumanisation. We reiterate our demand to national, European and international institutions to implement migration policies grounded in social justice, human‑rights defence and development cooperation. No person is illegal and no life should be lost at sea.” – CCOO Canarias

Human‑Rights Violations in Mauritania

Thousands have lost their lives in recent years crossing the sea from Africa to Europe, confronting strong currents, unsafe vessels, or the unforgiving Sahara desert that covers most of Mauritania. The International Organization for Migration reports that 8,938 migrants died in 2024 alone while attempting such crossings.

A recent 142‑page report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) documents torture, violations, ill‑treatment, arbitrary arrests, collective expulsions and inhumane conditions in detention centres, implicating various Mauritanian security forces. HRW says these abuses have been exacerbated by European Union and Spanish funding and support for Mauritania’s migration management.

The Mauritanian government categorically rejected HRW’s allegations. In a statement from the Ministry of the Interior, the report was described as “lacking objectivity and credibility” and accused of contradicting on‑the‑ground facts. While official statements deny any torture or looting of migrants during expulsions and claim the existence of adequate reception centres offering health care, food and transport, HRW has documented collective expulsions over the past five years.

The controversy has sparked debate among Mauritanian authorities and humanitarian organisations, which call for continued and deepened reforms to protect the rights of migrants in the country.